#and if i run for more than 30 seconds my lungs literally stop working

[queerstudiesnatural]

btw i did have a nightmare last night that like, fucked me up a little bit

[thelaundrybitch]

Chopsticks - part 1

Part 2

Well, Turtledoves, it's been a hot minute.

Here is the first half of a fic I wrote for @leosgirl82 💕

The second half will be coming soon, I promise.

This was supposed to be strictly Leo, but it somehow turned into Blurple.

I'm not mad about it.

TW: Mentions of abduction, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, PTSD, anxiety - literal mentions, it doesn't go into detail.

This part is not NSFW, but the second part will lead to it. This part is mostly pining and a bit angsty.

And as always, my ninja turts are aged up to 30+ years. Don't be weird.

Please don't steal my work. Reblogging for others to enjoy is highly encouraged, though🤩

Chopsticks - Part 1

Having been close friends with the turtles for years, their vigilante ways had finally caught up with them. You were taken hostage by one of their many adversaries and tortured for more than a month before they could get to you.

Broken and beaten, they refused to let you out of their sight and emptied your apartment into the lair. 

And rightfully so.

The terror and torment hadn't been targeted. It was meant to be pervasive - physically, mentally, emotionally.

You weren't you when the turtles finally got you back.

Body, mind, and spirit had been shattered and scarred just as their adversaries had intended. 

Initially, they set up a spare room outside the lab, where you could come and go as you pleased and where Don could keep an eye on you. 

Since you and Don were closest, that had been the most logical place for you to be.

It was small, but it was somewhere you could find some solitude and time to reorganize your thoughts. The turtles were hopeful that their loving support while allowing you to be primarily independent would help you regain your sense of self.

But it hadn’t worked out that way.

The malevolent cruelty you had endured had been too much for too long, causing what felt like irreparable devastation to your character and core being.

You weren’t just having nightmares. You had maladaptive daydreams. Ones that were sometimes worse than the night terrors. Ones that Don had only ever been able to stop by heavily medicating you into passing out.

Which was not optimal for the long run. You needed to learn proper techniques to calm you down when medication was no longer an option.

And so that meant there was only one place for you to stay that made sense. With the only being that had more patience and serene energy than a monk.

Leonardo.

Your bedroom was currently the guest room that was attached to Leo’s room since he was the only one who knew how to stop all the night terrors that had been a direct result of said abduction.

He was there whenever your lungs squeezed so tight you were sure you'd suffocate from the anxiety attack.

He was there when your tears threatened to drown you as they refused to stop.

He was there to hold you together when the world seemed too much, threatening to shake you apart at the seams.

He was there.

Never questioning.

Never judging.

Always there.

Loving you back into existence when you felt you were losing yourself to the darkness.

Finally, you were starting to feel like yourself again. 

Spending more time out of your room than in.

Eating regularly and with everyone at mealtimes.

Smiles and laughter finally finding their way back to your heart.

And you knew it was all because of him.

Admittedly, you had started falling for the leader some time ago. Hoping, and sometimes even wondering if he didn't feel the same, with all the affection he showered you with daily.

But you squashed those feelings down. 

Deep inside, you knew that spending all that time down there had brought you closer to each of them. Moreso with the Leader- seeing that you literally had to go through his room to get in and out of yours.

So you really shouldn't be reading into it too much. 

It was the natural progression of a deeper friendship.

Right?

The comfort had reached the point that most of the time, the door between the two rooms was left open, the pair of you going back and forth as you pleased. 

Sharing books. 

Venting frustrations. 

Offering advice.

You ate meals together and even helped one another with the chores the other didn't care for.

You did his laundry, he made your bed.

He was most definitely your best friend.

And you two were extremely close.

Maybe a touch too close.

Or maybe you were just overthinking the whole thing.

Letting your heart wander too close to the edge where it could so easily fall and shatter.

However…

Mike had made a sarcastic remark one day about “just knocking the wall down and making it one big room,” and Raph agreed as the words were leaving his younger brother's lips.

Your eyes darted to Leo, but only for a split second before Don decided to join the conversation. Commenting on how that might make things somewhat strange and maybe a little strained. The pair of you were besties and did everything together as it was. Surely, being in the same space at all times would cause some unavoidable friction.

Leo had gone perplexingly silent, his eyes trained on you.

Waiting

Watching

Assessing your response

After an uneasy giggle and a blush that made you feel like lava had been dumped over your head, Don found some unapologetic bravado and told you if that wasn’t a concern for you and you weren't afraid of a little unavoidable friction, then his bed was always open too… while giving your entirety a prolonged look of appreciation ending in a wink. 

And if Mike's statement hadn't turned you completely beet red, Don's statement most certainly finished the job.

And that was mostly out of shock - that the tallest of the brothers had suddenly thrown a pickup line at you.

That suggestive.

And in front of his brothers, no less!

Admittedly, the pair of you had teasingly gone back and forth with stupid pick-up lines and a bit of silly, trivial flirting whenever you hung out, but it was all in good fun. It was very much platonic.

At least that's what you had thought at the time, anyway.

But now, here he was, making a clear and direct advance at you!

Not exactly sure what to make of it or how to feel, you saw the sobering expression fall over Leo's face as his eyes moved away from watching you and, instead, glared at the floor.

Your heart clenched as Leo ducked out of the room rather quickly after that. You tried to go after him but Don stopped you, reminding you it was time for your daily meditation with Splinter.

A defeated sigh left your lungs as you walked with Don to the dojo, having to unwillingly leave the blue-clad terrapin to his own devices.

Heartachingly, Leo seemingly tried to avoid you for the next week.

That was what it had felt like, anyway…

Well. At least your hopeful romantic heart could finally put that question to rest. His actions had rang loud and clear, and there was no need to wonder where his feelings lay…

Luckily, his evasion hadn't lasted for long. 

Realistically, it couldn't. 

I mean, you guys basically shared a room!

After some extra meditation time spent with his father behind closed doors in the dojo, he was soon back to his old Prince Charming self. 

Back to sharing his blanket during movie night.

Back to pulling you into his lap when there weren't enough seats. And sometimes when there were.

Back to climbing into bed with you and holding you tight after you'd had a nightmare, churring and pressing soft kisses along your hairline all night long…

But alas, you knew in your heart of hearts that you'd been friend-zoned.

Recently, you’d found yourself wishing it was finally safe enough to move back into an apartment.

Between Leo being Prince Charming and Don now courting you like The Dark Prince, you needed a break!

You needed to get away.

To separate yourself and put some space between all of you.

Specifically Leo.

Because you were entirely and undeniably in love with him.

And you weren't sure how much more and how much longer you could endure his platonic affection before you broke and did or said something that ruined the friendship…

Unfortunately, you were stuck there with them because, according to both Leo and Don, the group that had taken you was still actively hunting you…

So there you would stay. 

For an undetermined amount of time.

Trapped in the sewers with your feelings.

Along with the man who held your heart in a vice grip.

And his brother, who was also trying to steal your heart…

Enjoying my work? Find my Master list HERE

*If you aren’t on this list, please let me know if you want me to tag you in my other work or if you prefer me to not tag you 😘

~Tags~

@leosgirl82 @leoandraphssoulmate @scholastic-dragon @trufflemacandcheese @eveandtheturtles @raphsmuneca @meowph-132 @wynndigogh @symmetricalkazekage @miss-andromeda @drowninghell @xanadu-702 @iheartchv @justalotoffanfiction @zombiesnips-blog @fyreball66 @yorshie @fluffytriceratops @pheradream-15 @happymoonangel @8pmblackcoffee @jurikyu-blog @lazygirlfanfic0-0 @soryuwifeyxx

[bemylord]

ᴘᴜɴɪꜱʜᴍᴇɴᴛ + ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀᴄᴀʀᴇ │ ᴅɪʟꜰ ꜰᴜꜱʜɪɢᴜʀᴏ ᴛᴏᴊɪ

pairings: toji fushiguro x fem!reader.

warnings: nsfw, spit kink, spanking, slap on the cheeks [once], size kink, belly bulge, tears, creampie, marks, dom/sub, cockwarming, nicknames, butt plug, edging [mentioned], degrading, gagging, oral [both?], breeding kink + aftercare and praising <3 grammar issues.

word counter: 4.2k

butler's note: extra hot and extra big. it must a 4.7k but i though it'd be too long, so i deleted some parts. if you like dilf toji - butler's here to serve your thirst. i did toji in his 30s not in 40s bc megumi is three years old.

'on your knees, slut' you swallowed, dare to have a quick look on your daddy before stood on the knees. toji will give you the punishment in a few seconds - you had given up on making excuses, yet preparing your throat and holes for his cock.

the playroom, which toji designated as the 'basement' for megumi, so that his son wouldn't enter, is arranged in relatively red colors: only the toy chest of drawers was made of wood, which had a shade of terracotta.

toji is into toys. edging you 'till your pussy will be soaked enough or else he'd turn the vibrator on the max, sat on the chair in front of the bed, putting his elbows on the armrests, making himself comfortable in the cushioned chair, to watch as how you're being a desperate slut for him.

trying to squirm from vibration on your overstimulated clit, as your legs have shaken as the toy brought you the new piece of the orgasm. toji commanded you to intently stare into his green lewd eyes as you feel the oncoming orgasm.

tears had come to the corners of your eyes, as you had reached the orgasm. you had given up counting the highest you've been reaching, but you knew toji hadn't touched himself - his balls are full of sperm to breed your pussy and mouth.

he turned off the toy, lightly rubbing your clit, as you arch the back for toji's caresses - he had enough to make a few circles as you milked on his fingers.

'your pussy so soaked, your juices are oozing all over your thighs,' he kissed the inner thighs, moving soft kisses to the succulent place. 'let daddy taste it.'

certainly, his tongue could bring you another pleasant satisfaction feeling in minutes due to the kind of torture he had placed you. he licked your oozing hole, tasting the juices, mooing into your bosom, causing vibrations.

you abruptly exhale, as toji moves his mouth to your swollen clit - you've been tortured and haggard, but you'll give your daddy the last creampie on his cock, will you?

of course, you will. you will milk his thick, hot cock when the tip literally touching your cervix, replenishing your vagina with his sperm. you had dig nails into his back, milking the cock, produce the white ring around the cock base, hearing as toji groans into your ear.

now, he won't be lenient. you had been a bad girl, very-very bad girl. you got daddy's permission to cum, didn't you? to be an obedient whore - is your role in the sex, so why did you disobedient the simple rule? you wanted a punishment.

toji sat on the upholstered chair, spreading his legs wide apart as if calling you to have your place. his cock is bulging from the sports pants - despite it was baggy, it seems that the cock would rip the material if it could do it.

you glare at him once again: green eyes are focusing solely on you, devouring, waiting for you to touch the cock with your tongue. he put elbows on the armrests, grinning - it's gonna be the rough punishment.

you placed palms on his knees, rubbing them slowly as if wobbling, should you continuing or you should have to stop. you're unhurriedly moving hands towards the bulge, lick the parched lips - soon, there will be his semen.

you touch his outlining dick with one finger, feeling how hard it is, how big your daddy cock is. the one thing that has been stopping his cock from being in your mouth - the elastic. you've lowered his pants, freeing up a fat cock.

you dare to look at the cock, before pulling it in inside your warm wet mouth: a small amount of precum on the pink glans and the protruding vein on the side of his cock, which you always had licked first. as usual - balls have a large amount of white, salty liquid to paint your mouth and pussy into white color.

fuck, perfect dilf in the prime of his life. toji in his 30s but his cock is fucking amazing. jesus, he's fucking good: he always pleases your needs with his cock, his fingers, his tongue.

fuck, what a perfect daddy you've gotten. primarily, toji hired you as a babysitter for his son, but lately, the both of you began to experience a completely non-working relationship, crossing the thin line of 'friendship' or 'boss and employee'.

do you mind when toji kisses your lips in the morning before making you a cup of coffee? do you ever put resistance towards his attempts to love you?

he snapped you out of your memories with a light slap on the cheek, more like a small touch of his palm on your cheek. toji put his chin on the palm as the little finger slightly covers the scar on his lip.

'suck my cock and gag on it.'

you wrapped your small palms around the base, licking the precum turning your head to lick the prominent vein. you had kept asking yourself, how does his fat cock fit in your little mouth?

although, toji fushiguro is definitely maddening by your small mouth that barely could fit the entire cock. the rare occasion when you managed to touch your nose against his pubic - after touching the bristle hair, you found yourself in tears as the glans touching the throat.

he'd lie if he tells he doesn't like when you get choked by his thick cock. toji feels like he's in heaven - doesn't need to use hands to press your head deep into the base. though, he could do it unexpectedly, take you off guard, overhearing as to how you're getting choked.

you're suctioning the cock as if it a lollipop with strawberry or cherry flavor, sucking as if you've been thirsty for weeks. scattering kisses along the length, pulling out the cock from the mouth with a pop sound.

the sound echoes through the room chugging and chomping. toji is smirking as seeing as his dick disappears inside your mouth, feeling as your tongue playing with the base inside. suddenly, you felt his big palms on your head, as he warned you with his giggled, suc as a telltale sign.

relentlessly, literally from the first second he had touched your hair, he fucks your throat without mercy as if you don't feel any pain. predilection of choke you with his cock.

you're trying to breath with a nose, but [forgive me] as toji replace palms to the throat and nose - this is what he calls a real suffocation. tears are running on your cheek as the glans touches your tonsillar.

'look me in the face, slut' he placed both palms on your throat, periodically squeezing and giving you few seconds to fill your lunges with the air.

you stare at the eyes full of lewd and the pleasure of your weeping face, he knows it hurts and throat will be sore in the morning - that is the reason why he will give you a day off on his large bed, where you'll be resting as toji will take of his son.

he will forbid you to get out of bed as if you could get out - the ass will burn as if you had been fucked by several men, not by one cock. by the way, you don't need several men as you've got toji. toji fushiguro and his cock will rip your pussy like you've been needy for it

there are times when the sorcerer killer is soft, his pace is slow as he covers your collarbone with quick hickeys that go away after a few minutes. he worships you like his queen, whispering that he will marry you one day.

'you're gonna be my little girl forever, only mine girl.'

don't think toji is a monster who loves to fuck you until you'll be a dumb as his cock breeding your pussy, you like it as well, when toji spanking your ass contemporaneously caresses your clit, reaching the new wave of orgasm on his cock.

'open your mouth little one.'

you pull out his cock, open your mouth wide, letting the saliva dripping down onto the chin, as you stick out the tongue. he cups your face, spitting in your mouth, mingling your drools together. you swallowed the mixture as a good girl, stick out again, asking for the supplementation.

'should daddy gives you more, should daddy kisses your lips?'

'yes, daddy, kiss me.' he squeezes the throat at your response.

'yes, daddy, kiss your slut, kiss her, please.'

he smiled, noticing how obedient you are by calling yourself his slut. he lowered his body down to kiss your mouth with a tongue, making you completely a mess, as you moan into the kiss. a small reward before the punishment.

he kisses your lower lip, slightly bites it, taking off your wet panties. not breaking the kiss, he runs the finger in your crotch, has a sensation of your dripping pussy - daddy's perfect slut. he entered with one finger without any warning, feeling your gooey walls.

you opened your eyes from the unaware action, staring into the green, loved one's eyes, feeling as his tongue is playing with yours, his finger tasting and preparing your hole for his cock.

'suck my finger and taste yourself'

you wrapped his wrist with a palm, taking in your mouth the soaked finger in your juice - toji's sperm is tasting better than any other liquid. he gets up from the chair, walking towards the drawer to get the toy.

'what color of the plug my slut wants?'

'whichever daddy chooses'

he put the one with a white, fluffy tail, lubricating hands, and plug. you knees on the edge of the bed, licking lips as anticipating the plug in your hole. fushiguro runs a finger along your hole, lubricating the ass, so it won't hurt too much - only his dick can bring the pleasant tingles.

he entered with one finger, feeling as the tight hole immediately squeezes it. he kissed your asscheeks, replacing into the toy. the sensation of the cool toy made you wobble your pelvis, but instantly you felt the strong hands of Toji, which calmed you down.

you had felt as the toy slowly coming inside the non-stretched, tight hole. you exhaled, arching the back, silently begging for the drooling pussy to be stretched with his fat cock. but instead of his cock you felt as his palms found themselves on your butt, squeezing them.

you screamed when toji spanked the right cheek. you've practically fallen as if toji's another palm which is holding you, so you wouldn't twitch and sneak away from the spanking.

another hit on your butt and another and another. your soft and once pristine skin is now covered with the marks of toji's palms, he marvels as he looks at the 'art' he has created - one touch and you shudder in suffering.

'turn around and face me.'

you hardly turn your body, looking from the bottom to meet his gaze - you've got a lovely opportunity to watch as he takes off the black t-shirt, he threw his arms back, pulling the fabric down, tossing it aside, placing his knee on the bed, opening your mouth with his hand.

he spits again in your mouth, as your hands found themselves on his stomach, outlining his sculpted abs with your fingernails. his muscular, athletic body feels so pleasant under your soft pads.

'give my dick a kiss before i'll rip your pussy'

once again you feel the hard cock in your mouth, salivating the base, pulling out to play with balls for a little. he groaned as felt your mouth has taken one ball then another, playing as toji loves, ogling at his foggy gaze and sanity. his cock twitched, when you kiss the head, turned your body.

his pads deftly find your clit, as the killer lay down on the stomach, moving your hips towards his face, forcing you to repeat his movement and lie on your tummy. he tucked the tail on your back, examining your oozing hole.

he couldn't help but bury his face on your pussy, tasting the arousal, knowing who your hole, body, and mind are belonging to. your arousal as well, tearing apart your pussy with fingers, entering inside with his tongue.

as if he could reach the spongy bug inside your vagina - he will wake you up every morning with a tongue.

going in and out in sharp movements, then lick the entrance such in a tease way. he had added two fingers simultaneously as you immediately squeezed 'em, quelling your moans with the pillow.

with one hand toji is stretching your gummy walls, feeling the friction when you adjust to his thick fingers; with another, he spanks your red butt cheeks, bringing you the discomfort.

't-daddy, i-i'm..'

'you've got my permission, cum on daddy's mouth.'

he caresses your clit with circles, anticipating for the liquid he'll lick. the euphoria had covered you surprisingly, when toji removed the plug, had kissed your ass. his strong hands were holding your legs widely as you were giving daddy the liquid he had been waiting.

licking the drooling cunt 'till your clarity is hazed and dazed by the marvelous feeling, you couldn't think clear, murmuring him different phrases.

'daddy, please fuck me rough, please, i need your thick fat cock in my pussy, daddy~'

you've purred like a cat last word, rocking the hips as you're still in the clouded conduction, unconsciously murmuring his nickname, stuck your butt.

'how can daddy say no to his baby girl.'

toji bent you over on the back, without hesitation threw legs over his shoulders. he spits on the pussy, smearing the saliva on the enterance. although you've been stretching before, his head had come inside with an effort, giving the moment to adjust to his size as the glance have touched the cervix, filling the space.

feel of being full by his cock definitely the best you had ever felt. you're melting by his warm and sweet body - drops of sweet starts to appear on the muscules as you're clenching the dick inside, attempting to adapting to his cock. he fucked your pussy almost every night, but tho you still fucking tight.

that's the thing toji loves - your hole as if renewal, making it difficult to fuck your relentnessly, so in the morning there will the pain between your thighs. he'll apologize with his tongue on your pussy, eating you as you like it.

the moment you clenched his wrists, leaving half-moon marks there, telltale sign for toji to move the pelvis. he pull his cock out to the glans, giving it back in a second, kissing your ankles, staring into your eyes, wrapping hands below the knees, using your legs to push into your wet bosom, stretching the walls to paint after in a white hue.

he moves the pelvis forth and back, beating out the moans out of your mouth, smiling to be the one who can and will bring pleasure to your body and mind. toji casts an insatiable glance over your body - with every thrust into your drooling pussy, your breasts bounce as your palms clutch the sheet, hoping to compensate for the blows.

as well, you glance over the man figure, staring as toji's chest rises when he goes all the way in. when he breathes out, his abdomen is visibly showing you the muscular. you clench the dick, as you have touched the abs, deftly touching his tense stomach.

you caught him twice in the gym, when you wanted to wake up megumi, had stopped by the crack in the door, had a peek on toji's body: wet, strong, and tense as he was standing in the plank position.

you had allowed yourself to watch as he exercises, had forgotten about the task to wake his son - wet strands of dark color fell on his face, if you pussy can talk, it would definitely say: 'fuck me, toji.' thank god your vagina is incapable of spilling your desire.

the goosebumps had covered your body as you saw toji's eyes were focusing solely on you, when you turned your head to look at the time - six in the morning, - you quickly ran to the 'gumi's room, pretending you weren't stalking.

does it count as stalking? toji should lock the door, you were just.. staring as he was exercising.

the next time he asked you to count his push-ups. you were happy. you nodded as the response, counting, as toji suddenly ask a question.

'lay on my back, y/n.'

you barely answered: 'yes, daddy.' again, you nodded uncertainly, afraid to make the slightest movement. can he hold you? but you wanted to feel his strong body more than anything else, and besides - he's your boss, you have to obey him.

you did as you told: first, you sat on his butt, then you lay down on his back with your stomach. surprisingly, he bent his arms faster, like you were a feather.

'one hundred, mr. fushiguro.'

you get on the floor, kinda upset leaving his body.

'you are so easy, have you eaten? i'll order us some food, you should eat more.'

the 'compliment' that toji had addressed to you made you blushed, as you found yourself smiling, looking at his face. you show by the gesture sigh 'okay', left the room.

'and it's toji, for you.'

you had murmured his name in the nights when you were closed as now, masturbating your little clit, pronouncing his name.

'toji.'

he suggested you move in with him because it was difficult to get to his house - he lived far from the city and transportation didn't go to the place.

'toji~'

you purred the boss's name, as the orgasm with a tremble covered your body, leaving you desperate to quell his name in your hand. you were thinking that the owner of the name is sleeping like his son is, therefore you could please your needs.

he was awakened as hell - being a sorcerer killer giving him the opportunity to sneak up on the victim quietly. especially to the mere human like you, who haven't got any curse energy or a good ear to overhear as he's jerking his cock, listening how you're cumming.

a kind of 'we're even' when you peeked at him.

the thing you didn't know is - toji always had peeked on you. in the shower, in the kitchen when you're wearing those fucking tiny shorts or when you just-just have awakened, aimlessly stretching your arms above the head, exposing your breasts as your top went up.

always.

now you are thinking about his massive cock is filling the former empty pussy, thrusting harder when your harsh and resounding voice caresses his ears - a delight to 'em.

the squelches are filling the game room, as you put your legs around his torso, making him bend over towards your face and kiss you.

in this position he could kiss your peachy lips, demolishing the coil in your stomach by his cock.

as soon as you started to rock your hips towards his cock, he momentary started to fuck you mercilessly, feeling as you're dragging nails through his back - he wants to find in the morning a dozen of red stripes dotted on his broad back.

he moves on your neck, like a habit of marking your conspicuous collarbones with hickeys and bites, dragging your teeth across your shoulders, leaving through the way bites or kisses, groaned at your skin.

his back as a bare canvas and your fingers are brushed with which you skillfully paint indecipherable red patterns.

your hole is constricting as toji started to fuck you brainless, grabbing your thighs, leaving a trail of half-moons there, driving the cock all the way in, balls slapping against your ass, prompting squelches that echo around the room.

thanks, megumi had never see as his father fucks the babysitter. megumi once called you mom, but you explained that you ain't his mom, in the response, you heard:

'but my dada [dad] said i can call you my mom'

you saw as toji smiles, waiting for your answer. then you have begun to know each other as partners. toji had known you're gonna the perfect mom and wifey.

'megumi will wake up soon.'

'i will take care of him.'

he kissed your lips before distracted himself from your lips to rock your uterus hard. you're both at your limit, feeling the breath becoming short and the heart beginning to pound frantically - soon the both of you will reach your orgasm.

he put your arm on the tummy, entering as far as it goes, as you felt his cock protrude. he murmured softly through gritted teeth: 'i'm here, baby.'

toji tossed his hand back, when the strands have finally covered his view of you, staring at your cute facial emotions as you're closing your eyes tight, shrinking the hole, milking his cock to cover walls in the white hue.

'cum with me, doll, cum, cum, cum-'

you have come first, creating a ring around his base, sucking out his sperm. his groaning filled the whole room as he fills your walls with his semen. the cock still pulsing in your hole that has been squeezing.

he bent your body over, making you lay down on his chest with the cock inside. your heart beats frantically in your chest as you both try to regain your breath. you squeeze his cock once more, feeling your joined fluid oozing slightly from your hole.

he put his hand behind his head, the other holding your waist. your body trembles slightly in a post-orgasmic state - toji is ready for round two, you can see it in his smug face.

'my good girl, you are my little girl'

you kissed his chest, moving towards his lips, wiggling hips to tease your lover.

'say it again, toji.'

'that you're my pretty little girl or that i love you so much, which one?'

you like hearing toji saying he loves you, kiss your palms and one finger on which he wants to wear a ring that will bind you by the bonds of marriage.

he's certain right now - he had found his family. his wife. he gently kisses your face, as if afraid to scare you off, pulling out his flaccid cock, to bring you as soon as it possible to his face, letting you sit on his stomach.

you run your hands over his strong shoulders, giggling - how he will explain that scratches to megumi? he ran his pads over your tired body, touching you lightly on your oozing crotch.

'love, we should take a bath.'

'not before i dot your body with kisses'

he again bent you over on your stomach, kissing the back of the shoulders, slowly coming down on your butt. as an apology, he grabbed your butt softly, leaving on the red butt-cheeks kisses.

he might be a psycho while spanking you, although always making out with kisses through all your body.

'megumi is probably have woken up, toji~'

'lay down here, princess, i will take care of our son'

he pulled on his sweatpants as he left the room. sex with him at times like this - is exhausting. you didn't notice how he covered you with a sheet before feeding his son. megumi asked him where you are, but toji answered him in a manly way:

'she's resting now after having s-, after playing, 'gumi'

'playin'? why i didn't play?'

he only sighed as he helped his son to eat. a childish question that he could have answered, but he didn't.

when you woke up, you found out toji's head between your legs as he licked you. you didn't try to push him away, you just spread your legs wide.

'you're awake now, baby.'

he kissed your inner thigh, wrapping his teeth around your clit, not biting it, just feeling how tender it is.

'toji, where's megumi?'

you literally jumped out of bed if it wasn't for his hand on your knee. he kisses your hole, clearly hearing you purr.

'baby, he's playing in the garden. focus on the euphoric feeling.'

regardless of still being tired from the spicy hours, you gave yourself to his tongue, allowing him to bring you one more orgasm before you will walk to the megumi to say good morning.

the only thing better than toji's tongue - his thick cock.

you had enough for a few minutes, lavishing his mouth with liquid. he chuckled, licking up all the drops, moving closer to your face to give you a morning kiss.

'good morning, little one.'

* * *

i'm sorry again for the mistakes and the long oneshot, maybe, you don't like big ones and i should make drabbles? it must a drabble, tho. okay, 0.3 notes [because i know it's huge, and you love drabble rather than os] and i'll write abt dilf satoru gojo?

↳ back to the main master list.

[strxwberrylemonxde]

First "I Love You's"

Featuring: Kirishima, Kaminari, Shinsou, and Aizawa

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Light cursing

Word Count: 1.3k

A/N - Sooo I had this idea for a while right, along with the ten thousand other ideas I have, and so I finally wrote it, though I had to scrap one of the characters because I had a hard time coming with something for him. Also, please someone request something ;-; my inbox is so lonely, you can even just put random memes in there or just chat with me, I'd love to hear from you guys 🥺 Anyway, please enjoy and thank you for reading <33

Best boy definitely said it first

You and him were studying together in the common room for an upcoming exam after Bakugou ditched you guys to go to sleep that 8:30 bedtime be looking real good rn huh Katsuki

And he had asked you to explain a problem that was in the textbook you guys were using

He likes it best when you explain things to him

Because you don’t go feral and froth at the mouth every time you do

So of course, being the most wonderful person you are, you help your favorite manly man out

“Hey Sunshine, can you help me with this problem please.” He absolutely made a little pouty face when he said this because he loves the laugh you make when he makes that face

“Sure Eiji, what’s up?”

And so, you go and explain the problem he was having trouble with, answering every question he had, and going over each step and process again to make sure he understood the topic clearer

By the end, he was so awestruck at how smart you were and how you took the time to help him, revisiting previous steps just to make sure he got it and making sure he wasn’t confused

You were going over some final points and tips but he wasn’t listening, he was staring at you with his head rested in his hand, a smile on his face

And without thinking, he just goes “God I love you”

Cue stunned silence

You just stared at him like 😳

And he thought about what he said and went 👁👄👁💧

Both of your faces and ears matched the color of his hair

“I-I mean thank you… N-NOT TO SAY I DON’T LOVE YOU OR ANYTHING, but uhh I didn’t mean to say it so quickly, I’m so sorry if this is going too fast I-”

You laughed at his embarrassment and kissed his cheek

You pulled away, but let your face linger close to his and whispered “Don’t worry, I love you too~”

Kirishima.exe has stopped working

I feel like the great Denki Kaminari said it first as well

Okay, run with me here

You guys are together playing a video game right

And you’ve been absolutely kicking his ass repeatedly

Like it’s to the point he thinks you’re cheating or something

Nah, you’re just that good

And he’s about had it with you laughing every time his character died on screen

So, to get you to shut up, he decides to lunge at you and tickle you, pushing you flat on your back while he’s straddling you and tickling your sides

By now, you’re thrashing around, laughing so hard your stomach is on fire and you try to get out an apology in between fits of laughter

Denki melts at the sight

Like his heart is going 💞💕🦋🥺🥰💕💞

Meanwhile, you’re underneath him begging him to stop tickling you, telling him you’d stop

“Hmm, I don’t know babe, I kinda like tickling you …”

At this very point in time, Denki is hit with a sudden realization

He is utterly in love with you

Like, he doesn’t wanna play video games with or tickle anyone else, he wants to do it all with you

So, being the suave romantic boyfriend he is, he just blurts it out

He just blurts out the first phrase that came to his mind

Which was: “Wow, I love you, even more than hamburgers”

Both your and his laughter died as he stopped his tickling

You both just stared at each other for a hot second

But then you opened your mouth, “Really Denki? You mean that?”

“Of course I do babe, I love you more than anything!” Cue his smile which just literally brightens up everything in my life

You smiled up at him and reached up to place your hand on his cheek

“Well then, I love you more!”

I could see this going both ways

Like part of me can imagine him saying it first, but then there’s this other part of me that can see you doing it first

But in the end, I think you would be the one who would say it first

After all the bullying he’s been through, I feel like he’s convinced that people have a hard time loving him because of his quirk or that he’s unloveable because “no one would want someone with a villainous quirk”

So because of this, he kind of shut himself off from any forms of love and affection

And then you came into the picture and said 🥰🥰

Sooo, you guys are together in his dorm one day and you’re watching some videos online

It’s probably cat videos

And Hitoshi has his head on your chest because you insisted on snuggling with him

Meanwhile, you’re propped up on the pillows and your fingers are running through his hair oh what I would give to run my fingers through Hitoshi Shinsou's hair

Rather than paying attention to his computer, you were actually looking at him

You thought about how he always managed to make your heart swell and how you always felt safe with him

You thought about how adorable he looked when he was sleepy and how his little cat obsession was the cutest thing

And you thought about how you wanted to see him excel as a hero and prove to the world that he isn’t the villain they claimed him to be

You were like “What’s this feeling in my chest”

And then it hit you, like, holy shit you’re in love!

You figured that he fell asleep because his breathing was even and he hadn’t moved for a while

So you pressed a light kiss to the top of his head and whispered a little “Huh, I think I’m in love with you.”

But then you heard his voice reply “Really? You don’t say.”

Yeah, your soul left your body

You said it first and you left him a complete mess after you said it too

You didn’t even mean to say it, it just kinda slipped out

So you’re a teacher at U.A right, and you and Aizawa were together in his classroom during lunch

You guys were just talking before the students came back, discussing anything that came to mind while he graded some recent homework assignments

You offered to help him grade a few papers since they were just stacked up high on his desk

And, of course, he declined

But you did it anyway, insisting that you could help

So while you guys were grading, you guys continue your conversation until the bell rang

That’s when you remember that Nezu had assigned you a rather important task that needed to be done before the end of the day

Bolting up from your seat, you frantically collected your things

“OH GOODNESS, I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT NEZU’S ERRAND! I HAVE TO GO SHO, BYE LOVE YOU!”

You froze

You turned with wide eyes to look at him and he just stared at you with a slightly flushed face

The room went still and you swore you could hear a pin drop

“Well, are you gonna say it back???”

A voice rang out from the door behind you and you whipped around to see Aizawa’s students hiding, rather poorly may I add, behind the door

Mina had her hands clasped around her mouth with guilty eyes

“Aww Minaaaa, you blew our cover!”

“Well, I’m sorry he was taking such a long time to respond!!”

You blushed a furious shade of red and hid your face in your hands

The class began to bicker back and forth with each other

But then you felt a pair of arms snake around your waist from behind and a head rest on your shoulder

“I love you too my dear”

[letstalkaboutshtufff]

A Bad Feeling Pt 1

Levi x Reader

Part 1

Paring: Levi Ackerman x Cadet reader

Warnings: 18+ attempted rape/assault, cursing, mention of injury, violence

Summary: Reader feels uncomfortable around a overly friendly captain. Are they just over reacting? Or is there something else going on. What will Levi do when he finds out?

***************************************************

A.n. ok so I literally wrote this in one go, it's probably trash but I wanted to post it anyway. Please lemme know what you think in the comments! Thank you!

"Y/n! captain Oro is asking for you" you did your best to hide the discomfort Armins words made you feel.

You smiled what you hoped was a convincing one and nodded. With a deep breath you made your way to Captains Oro's office.

Ever since you had been introduced to him those few weeks ago, he had taken a special liking to you. At first you had been excited, having such a highly skilled and well known captain take notice of you was one of the best feelings. Especially since your squad leader, Levi wasn't exactly heavy on praise.

Everyone loved Captain Oro, he was known for his strength and stamina on the battle field. He was both charismatic, and charming. Your fellow cadets practically swooned over him. You couldn't help but also get caught up in his perfection. At first that is..

Over time you noticed things about your meetings that put you on edge. An unnecessary shoulder touch here, a too low pat on the back there. Something was off. And although you had done your best to distance yourself from him, it was hard when your squads often had to work together.

But it was hard to say anything against him because even your cold blooded captain seemed to enjoy his presence.

Once you brought it up to your friend Sasha, about how you felt he was being too friendly. But she waved her hand and basically said you were worrying for nothing, he was just a friendly guy. And you were being dramatic.

Maybe you were overreacting? If captain levi approved of him, surely that meant he was a decent person right? Maybe he was just being really really friendly.

You decided to give him a chance and knocked on his door when you finally arrived.

"Come in" a muffled voice came from the other side.

With a click you entered the candlelit room. It was nearing sundown after all.

"Ah cadet y/n! Perfect, I was wondering if I might ask your opinion on something?" He smiled angelically and gestured towards a parchment on his desk.

"Of course sir" you nodded and approached him, reminding yourself of what sasha said. Just relax.

From the way the parchment was positioned you had no choice but to come to his side of the desk.

"Do you see this area here?" He gestured to what you now saw was a map. "What do you think of leading a squad through here instead of what we originally planned?"

The next 30 minutes you spent completely and professionally discussing strategies. Being the member of your squad that was best at this, made him asking for you completely justified. You felt bad for ever doubting his intentions.

"Thank you y/n, I think I have a better idea of what course we should pursue on our next expedition" he smiled sincerely.

"I'm glad I could be of service" you nodded and allowed a relaxed smile to pass your features. Feeling stupid you had judged him so harshly.

" If you wouldnt mind just one more thing?" You nodded as he pulled out a stack of papers.

"If you could look over this report of the last mission before I send it out? See if theres anything else to add?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to Captain" you grabbed the stack.

"And please if you can, return them to me tonight, I'll need them for the meeting bright and early"

"Yes sir, I'll finish it asap, good evening" and with that you exused yourself.

Tonight? It was already sundown. Well whatever, hes so busy he probably doesn't know what time of day it is.

You found a quiet spot amonsgt the crowds in the common room and got to work.

************************************

"Oi brat, it's passed curfew, go to your room now, we have important work tommorow" the unmistakable voice of your captain rang through the now empty hall.

You looked up in surprise and meet his usual scowl, not even realizing how late it had gotten.

"Hai, s-sorry captain, I'll go now" you gathered the report and quickly left, not wanting to receive another scolding for taking too long.

Oh crap you still had to deliever the report. Changing routes you snuck quietly down the familiar hallways. Not particularly feeling like running into Levi again. Something about him always made you act just a little dumber and it was definitely not because of your non existent crush on him...definitely not.. he was just intimidating is all.

*knock knock*

You waited patiently but there was no answer. Crap did he already go to bed? But he knew I was coming? Ugh what should I do? He needs these reports..

With a sigh you change direction again and head for his personal chambers. There was no way you were getting in trouble for not delivering these reports on time.

You smiled when you saw dim light flood from beneath the door.

Lightly you knocked, "Captain Oro, its y/n, sorry it's so late but I have the rep-" you were cut off abruptly when the door swung open and there stood Oro.

Except he looked nothing like the Oro you were used too seeing. His hair was loose from it's normal slicked back do, and the edges were dripping slightly. His shirt was loosely thrown on revealing a decent amount of skin. He must've just bathed.. you could see why the girls were so obsessed with him. He was, platonically speaking, a very gorgeous man.

You were taken aback but reminded yourself that you did knock after hours so of course he wasnt going to be all soldiered up.

"U-um s-sorry Captain, I have the reports" you averted your eyes and shoved the reports in his direction.

"Ah y/n, thank you, would you please put them on my table? My hands are still slightly wet." He laughed holding them up innocently.

"S-sure" god why were you stuttering so much, you fight goddamn titans for a living?! But somehow you were more nervous now than when a 10meter was clawing at you.

You entered the room and tried to avoid looking around too much.

You always wondered what the inside of the higher ups rooms look-

*click*

You whipped around, alarm bells suddenly back in full force.

"Captain what are you-"

"You're such a good girl, you know that y/n?" Oros whole demeanor changed and you cursed yourself for not trusting your earlier instincts.

"U-um" you really did not know what to say or do as he took a couple steps closer.

"Always so obedient for me, I think you deserve a reward don't you?"

Shit

"That's not...that's not necessary captain, I really should be going" you tried to lunge for the door but he was quicker and much much stronger.

"I don't believe I dismissed you cadet..." he purred pinning your arms to the door in the blink of an eye.

You were by no means weak, but your struggles were useless against him.

"Let me go" it took all your strength not to stutter in fear.

"How adorable, you know I love it when you follow my orders so well, but I think..." you shivered in disgust as you felt his lips near your neck and press down.

"I'd like to see you fight me as well" you whimpered as he sucked and bit down on the soft flesh.

"S-stop it, p-please" he smirked and looked into your fearful eyes with his lustful ones. "Stop? But that's not what you really want is it? You see I know exactly how girls like you are" he chuckled darkly and moved one of his hands to grip both your arms, while the other slid lower. You gasped when he cupped your breast. "S-stop! I'll, ill scream If you don't!" You felt a tear slide down your shaking form.

"Scream?" He snickered like you had told the funniest joke.

"Go ahead and scream doll, itll be very interesting to see what happens"

"W-what?" You were utterly confused.

"Think about it, if someone walks in on us, what would they think? Seeing a cadet after hours in her superiors chambers?"

"B-but I! I was bringing the reports i wasn't-!"

"Do you honestly think theyll care what you have to say? Who do you think theyll believe y/n? You a nobody cadet who's been fighting titans for 3 seconds? Or me, a selfless hero whos saved countless of scouts lives? All I have to tell them is that you came into my room and tried to seduce me. When I tried to restrain you, you screamed. Who do you think theyll listen too? Why else would you be here so late at night?"

"Y-You're..you're insane, you're not a hero, y-you're a coward who-" he grasped your jaw harshly causing you to wince.

"I'd watch that mouth of yours y/n" he squeezed harder. I am your superior after all, and we wouldnt want any nasty rumors going around that would have you suspended from the survey corps now would we?" He bent down and to your horror pressed his lips against yours.

Fuck fuck what do I do?!? Hes blackmailing me now. I cant fight him, hes too strong, think think think.

But your mind was blank when his cold lips pressed against your lips again. "Open your mouth" he ordered in a voice laced with animilistac lust.

You abruptly turned your head away desperate to get away.

"Heh, always such a tease" he traced a finger up and down your cheek, flipping over your lips. "I'll enjoy this-"

"CAPTAIN ORO, COMMANDER ERWIN REQUESTS YOUR PRESENCE IN HIS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY" a voice shouts from the other side of the locked door.

With an annoyed sigh, Oro pulls away slightly, "Did he say why?" He lazily looks over in the direction of the door.

"NO SIR!"

"guess it can't be helped... Alright tell him I'll be there shortly" he yelled out.

"Hai" the footsteps recended and you stood deathly still.

He pulled away from you and you immediately pulled your wrists to you, they were an angry red, and it scared you how much strength he had so effortlessly displayed.

"Sorry doll, it looks like we'll have to continue this another night" he stepped away and began dressing normally as if he hadn't just been assaulting you 5 second ago. You quickly make for the door but his voice falters your step, "Oh and y/n?"

You dont look at him, but fear held you in place until he finished, "If you mention our little moment to anyone, you know what will happen" you nodded quickly, anything to appease him and get out.

When the door shut behind you, you felt the flood of tears break through.

D-did, d-did that really happen?!?

You held a hand to quiet your sobs and quickly dashed through the hallways.

You're heart thumped and you felt the need to vomit. You hadn't felt this way since the first time youd encounted a titan. All you wanted to do was get to the safety of your room, just through the hall.

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on you when a cold voice shouted out and halted your movements. Please not now, oh god any time but now.

"Oi cadet y/n are you deaf as well as dumb? I asked you a question.

"Why are you out past curfew?" he sounded definitely annoyed and you gathered all your strength to hold the sobs out of your voice.

Without turning around you answered, "I-I had to deliver some r-reports..I'll head to my room now.." you stepped forward hoping he would let you go but you were not so lucky.

"Oi brat, did you hit your head? I didn't dismiss you yet. Not to mention you haven't even addressed me properly, maybe some time cleaning up horse shit will remind you how to respect your superiors" fuck he was definitely angry now.

Still you didn't turn around, you couldn't..."S-sorry Captain Levi, I'll do better in the future.." you barely could even focus on the words coming out of your mouth, your heart was beating a mile a minute. Please just leave me alone!

"Hahh" Levi uttered in disbelief and severe annoyance, even the most novice of cadets turn around when being spoken to by a superior. "Are you trying to piss me off brat?!?"

"No sir..." still you didnt turn around, but gulped in fear when you heard sharp footsteps near you.

"Cadet y/n, you have three seconds to turn around and salute me properly before I throw you into the cells for insubordination" he ordered in his dangerously calm voice, that you never thought would be directed at you.

Having no other choice you slowly turn around, hoping to god the darkness of the room would be enough to hide your current state.

You kept your head down, letting your hair fall over your face, but gave a proper salute. Hiding the Wince that came when the tender flesh of your wrist had to bend.

Your eyes were trained on the floor. And you tried to remember how to breathe normally again.

"At least you remember how to-" abruptly his harsh scolding stopped.

Why did he stop?! Fuck did he notice something. No no calm down, he probably just is coming up with another punishment...right?

Wrong...

Levi was far from being done with dicisplining you but he caught sight of your bruised wrist and furrowed his brows immediately. He knew for a fact the last time you spoke in the hall those had not been there. He was quick to take in the rest of your demeanor and knew immediately that the reason you were acting disrespectful was because something was wrong.

"Cadet y/n.." he said suspiciously slow and not full of anger anymore.

"Y-yes?" Please dont ask me, please dont ask me, please dont-

"Look at me"

*******************************

Part 2 here

Okay so that's part 1! Please comment and lemme know what you think🥰also I'm super sensitive so please no hateful comments. Thanks for reading!

[libraryofloveletters]

prompts 8 + 9 for Buck omgggg 🥲🥲🥲

Can’t Lose Him

Evan Buckley x Reader 

Warnings: fem!reader, mentions of hospitals and injuries, minimal swearing, mentions of pregnancy and Chim’s accident, big brother!Chim

Prompts: #8: “you promised me you wouldn't be reckless! You promised me!” #9: “Does he know about the baby?” 

Category: mix of angst and fluff

Word Count: 2.4k

Author’s Note: I loved writing this so thank you for requesting! :) 

---

Pacing the room, Hen reached out for your hand. “C’mon, your feet must hurt. Sit down” you sighed, once again you were in a hospital waiting room in the middle of the night with the team and Maddie because Buck’s idiotic self got himself hurt again. 

“I’m okay Hen, thank you” you gave her a slight smile. Bobby was talking to the doctors because you couldn't bring yourself to hear what he’s done this time. Bobby returned, Athena by his side now. “Oh honey,” she pulled you into a hug, you could feel yourself melting into her arms, she sat with you and her arm wrapped around your shoulder. Bobby sat to the other side of you. 

“The doctor said that the pressure of the block cracked a rib, which then punctured a lung. He also has a mild concussion but they say it shouldn't be too bad” 

“Is he out of surgery ?” 

“He is, but he’s in recovery now. It might be a little bit before we get to see him” Bobby gives your shoulder a squeeze, you nodded.

Taking a look around the waiting room, Chim held Maddie as she slept with her head on his shoulder. Eddie sat to the other side of them, on the phone with Carla and Christopher. Hen was now talking to Bobby about something. 

This wasn't an unusual scene but a familiar one. Regardless of what was going on or who it was, the 118 always shows for their own. 

A rather tall man came into the waiting room. “Buckley ?” he called out, everyone stood, the doctor seemed surprised to see so many people at 4 in the morning. Your hand was resting on your stomach, you could feel eyes burning into your side. Looking to the left, Chim’s eyes were fixed on your hand, you nodded in his direction with your brows furrowed. He shook his head, you didn’t think much of it. 

“We can take one person in if someone would like to go in now? He’s still asleep but he’s stable as of now” your heart sunk at the term “as of now”, shaking the feeling, you look over at Maddie. 

“Do you want to go in first ?” 

“You go ahead, I'll walk with you and then I'll see him after. I might take a lap, my back is killing me” she gave your hand a squeeze, the two of you followed the doctor to a room down the hall. 

She came in for a moment to kiss her brother’s head and then left you alone in the room with him. You sat at his bedside, your hand held onto his. His hand was cold, the monitor was still going and you could hear his heart beating through the deafening silence but it felt strange. 

Every time you found yourself back here, it felt odd. 

Buck was a warrior in every sense of the word, he pulled through, always. 

“Oh baby, what did you get yourself into” sighing and leaning back into the chair. Once again, your hand comes down to rest on your stomach, the other hand still holding Buck’s. His hand twitched slightly, he was starting to wake up. “Don’t move hun,” your hand rested on his chest softly, Buck’s brows furrowed. 

“Wh-who are you?” his head tilted slightly, your heart dropped. The panic started to set in but you knew better than to let him see it. 

He’ll come around, he’s just woozy from surgery. 

“Why are you here?” he asked once again, “I'm-” you started but was cut off by a little chuckle from Buck. “You ass!” you let out a breath, “god, you scared me”

“Sorry baby, I didn't mean to scare you” 

“Yeah? So why am I sitting in a hospital room while you’re all banged up” 

“We could bang if you wanted” he gave you one of his stupid wicked smiles

“Evan Buckley!” you scolded him, “now is not the time” your hand held onto his arm, your finger tracing over the tattoo on his bicep. “You really scared me, the whole punctured lung this isn't a cute look Buck” 

“Really ? And here I was thinking that I was pulling it off” 

Something flipped in you, you went from relief to anger in .2 of a second. “How could you?” hitting his shoulder, you stood up. “Ow! What did I do ? I'm just laying here” Buck whined, you know you didn't actually hurt him, he's just being dramatic. 

“I know it’s your job to run into burning buildings but would it kill you to be safe? You can't fucking save anyone if you’re dead Evan!” 

“Woah, calm down first of all, and why are you calling me Evan ?” 

“Is that not your frigging name ?!” 

You were starting to lose your patience. You loved Buck, any and everyone knew that but you couldn't deal with how stupid he could be sometimes. He’d run straight into danger to help others but not once would he stop to think of what could possibly happen to him. 

“Where is this coming from ?” he asked you, looking at you. He reached for your hand but you pulled away. You find yourself pacing again, trying to calm yourself before you strangle him with his IV line. “What do you mean ‘where is this coming from?’ you had a giant block of concrete on your chest Buck! If Eddie didn't find you, you'd be dead, you were on the verge of death as it is.” 

“You don-” 

“I don't know that ? I know you’re dumb enough to run into a collapsing building, especially after Bobby told you not to go back inside” you gave him a look, your back up against the wall. Buck’s face went pale, he looked as if he saw a ghost. 

“What? You thought Eddie wouldn't tell me about your little stunt ? You should know better than that.”

“Y/n, baby, I didn’t think anything would happen to me” 

“You never think Buck, that's the problem! You promised me you wouldn't be reckless! You promised me! but you never listen, you never do. One of these days, you're going to walk in and not walk back out.” storming out of the room, Buck sat on the bed, his mouth hung open and confused as to what brought on the fit of rage you just had. 

Maddie walks into the room, “where’s y/n?” she sits beside him. Buck rubs his forehead, “um- she just went for some air” 

--

It was around 5:30 in the morning, you sat outside on the hood of Buck’s jeep. You had dropped him off at work and taken the jeep for the day, hence why you had it right now. 

Peaceful.

That’s how you’d describe your surroundings. There was no one in the parking lot, you laid back on the hood as your hand came down to your stomach once again, staring aimlessly up into the sky. It wasn't dark but the sun hadn't fully come up yet. It was right before dawn, the world felt like it paused, not completely, but just enough for you to take in these few moments of peace. 

The weight shifted on the jeep, you opened your eyes to see Chim climbing up to sit beside you. “Hey, everyone’s looking for you” he says, laying back onto the hood beside you. “Yeah, I just needed some air” lying through your teeth, you give him as best of a smile that you could muster up. Chim’s eyes fixated on your hand once again, you watched him, practically hearing the turning in his head. 

“What's going on in there? The rebar taking its effect now?” you joke, he rolls his eyes. 

“Does he know about the baby?” he asks, you sit up and turn towards him. You hadn't told a soul. 

“How did-” 

“Maddie does it to- the hand on the belly thing. She's been doing it since before there was a bump. Just a motherly reflex I suppose” 

You stared off into space, Chim sat beside you quietly. “Does he know?” he asks once again, you shake your head. “I know it’s not my place,” he rests his hand on your shoulder, “but I think you should tell him. It might keep him from running into buildings without thinking.” 

“Did that work for you ?” 

“What do you mean ?” 

“When Maddie told you that she was pregnant, did you think twice before running into a burning building ?” 

“Honestly, at first it didn't. It didn't seem real until I saw the bump and heard the heartbeat. Then it all made sense ya know ? I couldn't risk getting hurt because I had something to live for, they were waiting for me to come home” 

“That's the thing, I don't want to lose him, Chim. I can’t lose him. I love him and I need him here, the baby needs him. There’s no way I can do this by myself” 

“You can, I know you would be able to do it by yourself but you shouldn’t have too. Buck’s an idiot but he loves you.”

Chim sat with you for a few more minutes, you considered everything he told you. How Buck might not change right away nor did you expect him too but if there was even a chance of him changing, you’d want him too. “Ready to go back in?” Chim slides off the hood, holding his hand out to you. You hold his hand and he helps you off the hood.

“We have a stop to make first” you walk in the opposite direction of Buck’s room. Chim follows you down to the gift shop, which was closed as it doesn’t open until 7.“Are you kidding me?” you groan, leaning back against the door. “We’ll figure something out,” Chim looks around. Eddie comes around the corner, “what are you guys doing here?” he walks over. 

“I needed something for Buck” 

“What did you need? Can’t it wait until they open?” 

“Eddie, I'm pregnant” you just blurt out, Eddie’s jaw drops, literally. 

“Congratulations!” he pulls you into a hug, “wait, you’re happy about it right?” he checks, you nod. 

“I need one of those stupid “world’s best dad” shirts for Buck but it's closed” 

Eddie looks at Chim and then looks around. “Are we gonna?” Chim points towards the door, looking at Eddie. “Yup” Eddie looks around once more, “lean your head towards me y/n” your face screws into a weird expression but abides anyways. Eddie pulls a bobby pin out of your hair, turning to the door and jams into the lock. He wiggles the pin around until the lock clicks open. 

“Voila” he smiles as pushes the door open. The 3 of you walk in, Eddie stays by the door to make sure no one was coming. “Chim, find a pen and paper for me please ?” you walk away to find the shirt you were looking for. Picking up 4, you shove them into a bag form behind the counter. You toss $30 onto the counter and scribble a little note for the person that opens that read: 

Had an emergency, needed a few shirts. Hope this cash covers it. Thanks! :) 

Eddie relocked the door before heading to Buck’s room. Everyone was now in the room, scattered in different places. Bobby was leaned up against a wall, Athena stood beside him, leaning into his side. Hen sat on the little counter by the window and Maddie was still in the chair beside his bed. Eddie went over and joined Hen by the window, Chim stood behind Maddie, his hand coming up to her shoulder. 

“Y/n..” Buck whispers as you walk in, you take a seat on the end of the bed by his hips. “I’m sorry” he says, his hand reaching out for yours. 

“You’re an idiot but, I guess, I forgive you” you say and Buck smiles at you. “What’s in the bag ?” he asks, you rest the bag on your lap. “Something for you boys” The guys exchange looks, Eddie and Chim knew you needed something for Buck but what did you get for them? 

Pulling out the shirts, you handed one to Buck first. It was a plain blue t-shirt with big white bold letters that read “world’s best dad”. Buck looked down at the shirt and then back at you, he repeated that process a few times and after a couple minutes he finally asked you. 

“Are you ?” he whispers, the room is silent. 

“Am I?” you ask.

“Pregnant ?” he finishes the question and you smile. 

“Yeah, I am” your hand rests on his, he pulls you into his side for a hug. You hug him, trying not to squish him and hurt him even more. 

“Okay,” you sit up and toss another shirt that said the same thing to Eddie. He caught it and smiled, “because Christopher couldn't have a better dad than you” Eddie gives you a smile and whispers a thank you. 

The next shirt gets tossed to Chim, he laughs. “You got one for me too?” he asks, pulling the shirt on over his sweater. “Yeah because baby girl Buckley is gonna be one lucky baby, despite your not-so-funny dad jokes” Maddie laughs at the comment, Chim does too. 

The last shirt goes over to Bobby. He gives you a look, “what’s this for ?” he asks, “Because not only have you been amazing with May and Harry but you’ve got a fire station full of ‘children’ that rely on you. Just a thanks for bringing them home in one piece, well for the most part” you pat Buck’s side.

The room is filled with happiness and love, the 118 was together once again, not just as firefighters but as a family. 

-- 

taglist: @ssa-volturi @advicefromnixxxx @dralexreid @keenmarvellover

[behindheremeraldeyes]

title: the next step is love

summary: Modern AU - It’s Sakura’s birthday, and after the party, she’s left to take care of the mess of dirty plates and glasses. Luckily, she’s not alone, but he can’t really stay forever, right?

a/n: Okay, this story was supposed to have come out way earlier, but I changed the plot so many times that I just couldn’t finish it for her birthday... The original idea was so different, and perhaps, I end up writing it another time when the inspiration strikes again (seriously, it was a nice one). Anyway, I hope you can still enjoy this one! As always, my fluff side took over me and I just had to make something simple and domestic for the Queen’s bday! Hope you enjoy it, and please, let me know what you think! (also, this is un-betta’d. I wanted to post this asap because I’m working on a different project, so... bear with me)

.

“Thank you for coming! ‘Careful on your way home!”

The sound of the door clicking shut reverberates across her entire apartment, and it only takes one second for that smiley expression to fade from her face. Her right hand is still placed over the door-knob, and for a brief moment, she closes her eyes, letting out a deep sigh in pure contentment. The last guests are finally on their merry way home now, and at last, she can stop worrying about things such as making sure no one’s feeling left out or re-filling toilet paper. Even if they’re all good friends, her perfectionist mind can’t simply allow her to enjoy the night without worrying about those details.

After turning the key, her hand moves to massage the back of her neck, and finally, she sets her toes free from her black heels. A mix of relief and calmness spreads all over her body, as a soft smile takes over her cherry-colored lips. This, perhaps, might be her favorite part of her birthday parties— or any party, for the matter— because, right now, she can finally savor all the things she's prepared for the night. The food, the decoration, the soothing music...

Oh, what a dream, she thinks, at first, before looking around with her lazy eyes and frowning at the scene. If only all of that mess could magically disappear by the time she wakes up tomorrow morning.

A sigh escapes her lungs as she makes her way back to the center of the hurricane that is her living room. Just like last year, she starts wondering why on earth she let Ino convince her to host her own birthday party instead of going out for a couple of drinks like most people do. Though the pinkette really enjoys having her friends over for a couple of hours, she can’t deny that the day after March 28th is probably the most tiring of the year. Sakura knows she's barely gonna get any sleep tonight, and by the time her alarm goes off around 5:30, she will certainly need at least 1 liter of coffee in order to go through her shift without falling asleep.

In theory, she could leave all that mess for tomorrow, sure, but thanks to her cleaning compulsion, that’s not really an option for her.

If only she could be a little more like Naruto...

Still, as she shakes her pink head, Sakura decides there’s no use in thinking about it tonight. That’s a problem for her future-self, and even if she’s probably going to regret that decision in the morning, right now, this is her moment. She can drink a full glass of champagne while eating another piece of her strawberry cake, and the best part is that she can do it all while enjoying the company of the only one whose presence will never be a bother to her.

Once she finally reaches her kitchen, the pinkette is fast to register the dirty dishes laying around the counter. There are way more glasses than the number of people she invited for the party, but for a brief moment, she forgets that she’s the owner of that mess. Her emerald eyes automatically drift towards the sink, and her heart skips a beat at the scene playing in front of her.

Not even in her wildest, teenage-ish dreams would she have ever pictured Uchiha Sasuke doing her dishes after her birthday party. Though she knows she’s the one who’s technically responsible for all of that, it’s inevitable for her to be entertained by how focused he seems to be while attempting to remove that lipstick stain from the cup.

How lovely, she ponders, bitting her lower lip in order to suppress a chuckle.

Too bad she can’t just keep watching him for the rest of the night.

“You know, even if I appreciate both your help and the view, you don’t have to do this, Sasuke-kun.” Sakura says, picking up some of the plates laying around and walking towards the sink. She’s standing by his side now, his tall body towering over hers, almost a head taller. The expression decorating his features remains unaltered, and she notices how he slowly moves to give her some space next to him. “You can go rest, if you want.”

“Do you want me to go leave?” He asks, unaltered, while scrubbing another knife.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She answers, grabbing a piece of cloth to dry the cutlery he has already washed. “I just don’t want you to do something you don’t want just because it’s my birthday or anything like that. It’s fine, really. I can do it alone.”

“Hn, It’s faster if we do it together.” He stops, a sly smirk taking over the corner of his lips as he closes the tap. His eyes are on hers, now, and she can feel her chest warming up in response. “Unless you wanna do it all by yourself.”

“Nope.” She says, promptly, handing him another dirty spoon and he’s quick to resume what he was doing. Her eyes watch the way the water runs through his fingers, and oddly, she can’t help but find that amusing. “If you’re willing to help, who am I to say no, right?”

A giggle escapes her lips when she hears the ‘tch’ that escaped from his lips, and eventually, they fall in a comfortable silence that is only disturbed by the clanking of the dishes touching each other. Every now and then, their fingers brush when he hands her the plates, and though she can still feel the sparks, those simple touches are no longer enough to make her blush in embarrassment as they used to.

His touch is no longer a stranger to her skin. His presence and his warmth have long been registered by her subconscious, marking every cell of her body with his constant presence. It’s been over 5 springs since their childish love finally bloomed into a serious relationship, and by now, both Sasuke and Sakura have grown used to one another. It goes beyond carnal desires or any poor excuse for a casual company, for their hearts share a connection deeper than words could ever describe.

Blame it on the fact that they used to be good friends before or even fate itself, but it’s impossible to deny the fact that they’ve reached the apex of their young love-life, to the point where doing the dishes together feels wholesome in ways neither of them can explain. There’s a sense of domesticity and mutual understanding shared in between unspoken words, and perhaps, that’s why it works so well for them as a couple. Even if they’re very different people, with different routines and personalities, they make it work.

They have enough trust, love and companionship to last for a life-time.

And though that should be enough—hell, that should be more than enough— Sakura can’t help but feel that there’s still something missing.

Something she can’t quite pin-point, but something that makes perfect moments lose their magic, for she knows they just won’t last. Even now, as they’re doing the dishes and making small conversation about how the party went, deep inside, her heart is heavy because she knows that once those dishes are clean, it will all be over and she will be left alone in her apartment before midnight strikes.

No matter how hard she tries, their moments together have their life-spawn shortened by the common laws of the universe, for every time there’s that stupid parting moment in which they both have to go separate ways. It’s painful for her to watch him disappear in the distance, and even if he doesn’t really express it with words, she can see the light in his eyes fading whenever they have to say goodbye. It’s always a new ‘good night’ and never a constant ‘good morning’ for them, and after so long, she’s sick and tired of this.

Perhaps, it’s just her tired-self speaking too loud in her head or even the few drinks she had during the party, but tonight, she doesn’t want the world to stand between them. Tonight, Sakura will break the natural laws, not caring about the consequences of finally taking the next step.

It’s still her birthday, after all. That has to count for something.

Her heart is beating faster now that she has made up her mind, and she realizes that she’s shaking when she picks another fork from his hands. She’s swallowing dry, and if not for the make up in her face, she knows he would be able to see a crimson blush decorating her cheeks. It’s now or never, she thinks. And before she has the chance to talk herself out of it, Haruno Sakura decides to act.

“Uhm... Sasuke-kun.” She starts, her voice shaky as his name slips from her tongue. Clearly, she forgot to think about the proper way of actually saying what she wanted, choosing instead to improvise— something she’s never really been good at. “I was thinking... Why don’t you spend the night here? You don’t have to go home after this.”

“Don’t even think about going to sleep, Sakura. You’re not leaving all of this mess to me.”

“Oi, that’s not what I meant!” She scolded him, a pout taking over her expression. “Shannarou, I just don’t want you to go home all alone at such late hours. Besides, is it wrong for a girl to want to stay with her boyfriend for the night?”

“You pervert.” He smirks, earning an elbow to his ribs in response. For someone so small, it’s undeniable that his girlfriend has some sort of abnormal strength people like her shouldn’t possess.

“Shut up. That’s not what I meant either! I just... I just don’t want you to leave, that’s all.”

Her words come out a little too low, but high enough so that he can hear them. Her voice sounded an octave too-melancholic, and perhaps, that was what made him actually take her offer seriously. “Hn, I guess I could. I don’t have to work tomorrow, so I can go home once when you leave for the hospital.”

“Really?” Sakura starts, a smile now threatening to take over her features. Though she still had to convey her real plan, that was already a win. A small one, but a win, nonetheless. “Well, you don’t have to leave that early if you don’t want to. You can just...stay. Maybe even wait for me to get home from the hospital and then we could eat dinner together.”

“What?” His eyes widen at her idea, and right now, she can’t really tell if his surprised expression is good or bad. “Aren’t you going to stay there until late tomorrow?”

“Well, probably, but you can stay here... is that a problem?”

”It’s not really a problem, but... I just don’t want to abuse your hospitality. It’s still your apartment, Sakura.” He scratches the back of his neck, and she could see that he was truly concerned about his manners. His mother has taught him how to be a gentleman, and even if she loves that about him, right now, she wishes he could let loose and just take her offer.

She bites her lower lip at his words, a puff of annoyance inflating her cheeks at his answer. Her boyfriend’s has never been good at reading her signs, and now, when not even she’s understanding them, the pinkette is starting to freak out.

Things are not going as planned— not that she actually planned anything to begin with. Her head is spiraling as she watches the snow-ball being created by her messy words, and slowly, she can feel her chance slipping through her fingers. If she doesn’t say it now, Sakura’s going to miss her opportunity, and who knows what’s going to happen to them. Will they break up? Will he think she’s not interested in a long-term commitment? Will they never do the dishes again?

No, she’s overthinking again. They have a solid relationship that has been built over the years and she’s not going to ruin it all in one night because she’s acting like a coward. She’s a modern, independent woman. A doctor, damn it. She has done a lot of things that were harder than asking her boyfriend to move in with her.

She can do it. She will do it.

“Sasuke-kun!” Her voice is determined now, her eyes filled with a different fire in them. This is it. No backing out now. “I need to ask you something important. It’s about our future together.”

“Okay... I’m listening.” He states, a little taken aback by her sudden burst. He stops what he’s doing, his dark irises now looking into her emerald ones. They’re holding a certain hope in them, and if anything, she was not expecting him to be paying that much attention to her. She’s feeling pressured by them, intimidated even. Her knees are shaking, her lips are trembling and her mind is suddenly blank.

She can’t do it. Nope. Not with those eyes staring into her soul.

“I-I... I...” Her heart is beating faster, and she feels like it will burst out of her chest any minute now. She’s going to faint, she can tell it.

“What is it, Sakura?”

“I-I...” She swallows, then, sighing as courage escapes her body. The pinkette has chickened out, finally opting for her ever-reliable plan B. “Naruto is an idiot, right?”

“... Yes.” He starts, his brows furrowing in confusion. “But what does that have to do with our future?”

“E-Everything! I mean, did you see how drunk he was tonight? Thank god Sai offered himself to take him home tonight, but we can rely on that forever. As his best friends, we have to do something about it. He lives far from both of us and we need a plan whenever we have a drinking night together.”

A moment of palpable tension grows between them, and right now, she’s sure he can hear her heart beating like crazy inside her chest. I’m an idiot, she thinks, holding back the urge to lower her head and cry. Sakura has just ruined everything, and right now, she’s going to have to pretend to actually care about where Naruto crashes when he’s drunk just so her boyfriend doesn’t think she’s completely crazy.

Ugh, those damn eyes of his. Why do they have to be so *freaking beautiful?

Thankfully, they can also read her like an open book.

“Hn, you’re right.” He says, finally breaking the silence that surrounded them. His voice is calm and understanding, as always, and she can feel her heart settling down at that. If anything, at least, his reaction isn’t bad or anything. “I guess we will have to have a spare room for him when we move in together.”

“Yeah, sure. A spare room when we—“ Her mind stops. Her hands freeze while holding the cloth and her green eyes widen. Her lips part slightly, but no word dares coming out of them.

Did he... Did he just say what she thinks he said?

She doesn’t know what kind of face she’s making right now, but if anything, she’s completely dumbfounded by his words. Sure, it’s not like he’s making a move tonight or anything, but he did say the words, right? Move in together. The three words she was trying so hard to get out of her chest, simply rolled out of his tongue as if it is the most logical thing in the world— and perhaps, it is. He says them in a way as if that decision won’t change their lives forever. As if it won’t affect their routine and the amount of food they have to buy at the grocery store.

It’s a decision that goes beyond a drawer filled with socks or an extra tooth-brush. And even if he sounds as calm as ever, she knows he’s aware of all that, because, if anything, Uchiha Sasuke doesn’t do anything based on impulse. He’s the kind of man who thinks things through and studies every possibility before making a decision.

So that means...

“Sasuke-kun... Are you suggesting that we move in together?”

“Aa.” He nods, no hesitation in his voice. “Weren’t you trying to say the same?”

“I-I... I was?” She says, sounding more like a question, to which he simply quirks an eyebrow in inquiry. If anything, that was not the moment for doubts anymore. “I mean, yes! That was exactly what I was trying to say.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

“Is it? Really?” She asks, hope now running through her veins and lighting up her entire system.

“Yes. It’s only natural for people like us, right?”

“Yeah...” He cheeks grow warmer, and her chest suddenly feels lighter. At last, he took the words out of her. “It’s settled, then.”

At last, their days of saying goodbye are counted and now they can enjoy each other from dawn to dusk.

A smile slowly makes its way to her eyes, and she can’t help but switch her attention to him. Sasuke is now looking at her, a soft expression taking over his face. She’s bewildered right now as she looks at the man who will be living with her. Totally and completely marveled, and more in love with him than she has ever been before in her life.

He understands her unsaid words and they share similar ideas regarding their past, present and future.

They are in love, and now, they’re ready to share the same roof above their pretty, little heads.

“You’re still staying with me tonight, right?”

“Tch.You really are a pervert, Sakura.”

He splashes her face with some water from the sink and her giggles fill her kitchen with joy. They’re young and in love, and for now, that’s all they need to take the next step towards their future together.

the end

[h2bakugou]

Maybe a x Baku fic where he and the reader are friends and the reader gets captured in a fight by a villain with similar quirks to Aizawa that only work if he’s touching the victim? Anyway the only way to get out of the situation is for Baku to literally blow the villain away from you.(bonus if the villain is a bit of a creep).The reader gets really hurt so Baku offers to check in on them as he feels kinda guilty but they end up growing close? Fluff and soft ‘in here to protect you now’ ending?x

a/n: ooo yess!! friends to lovers trope with a bit of angst? count me in! thank you for the request, we’re nearing the end and we’ll be able to open back up soon!!

summary: close friends to being caught in a terrible situation, a villain whose quirk works like your homeroom teacher’s, it’s the ultimate equation that brings you closer to bakugou.

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: fluff, swearing, a bit of angst, gore/violence

wordcount: 1.8k 

»»————-　★　————-««

»»————-　★　————-««

It was supposed to be a normal Tuesday, similar to other Tuesdays. The ones that sometimes didn’t feel like Tuesdays at all, or felt all too much like a Tuesday. It was the slightly soggy breakfast from heating it up in the microwave after getting up late kind of Tuesday.

It was the forgetting your pencil bag and having to borrow one for Bakugou, who gratefully trusted you with his favorite mechanical one that had the tiniest All Might nod kind of Tuesday.

It wasn’t supposed to be the unreal encounter with a villain whose quirk was to ‘erase’ your quirk by touching you. Similar to Mr. Aizawa, your quirk refused to work if this villain was touching you at all.

This was not the Tuesday you had hoped it would’ve been.

- - -

Six Hours Earlier

Funneling the soggy waffles into your mouth, you tried to ignore the damp and soft texture as it went into your mouth, and also tried to ignore the somehow scalding food as it sat in your mouth.

It was gone quickly, and you were able to catch up to Bakugou as he headed toward the school building.

“Did you enjoy sleeping in, dumbass?” Bakugou looked at you, his hands in his pockets like usual.

“Hey, I stayed up late trying to study because someone goes to bed at eight-thirty.” You pouted, crossing your arms over your chest.

“You said you were busy when i texted you to see if you wanted to study. It’s your own damn fault.”

“Kaminari suckered me into three games of monopoly! He wouldn’t let me leave until he won.” You sighed. Bakugou rolled his eyes and removed a hand from his pocket. He punched your shoulder lightly and looked at the ground.

“You’ll do fine on this test. Just don’t sweat it. You stress to fuckin’ much.” Bakugou reassured you, which was rare. But in a ‘I have to put up with you’ kind of way, Bakugou was happy to know you’d stayed up studying instead of watching a tv show.

“Thanks. I’ll study with you next time, I promise.” You lifted your pinky and showed it to Bakugou, awaiting his.

“I’m not doing a pinky promise with you.”

“C’mon!”

“No.”

“Please?”

A sigh. You went to pull away when Bakugou’s pinky wrapped around yours and tugged at it tightly.

“You annoy me.” Bakugou grunted, un-twirling his pinky and replacing his hand in his pocket.

During class, the big test you’d feared had finally fallen upon you. And just when things had gotten bad, they got worse.

You didn’t have a single writing utensil on you, because you’d forgotten your pencil pouch of course. Of all things to happen today, it had to be the forgotten pencil pouch.

“Bakugou.” You whispered, leaning over to his desk.

“What?” He huffed, watching as Present Mic passed out papers.

“Can I borrow a pencil? I forgot my pouch at home, I’ll give it back as soon as I’m done.” You explain. Bakugou rolls his eyes and shakes his head, lending you the one he had in his hand.

He quickly grabbed out another and you resumed your position in your seat and looked at the pencil.

It looked nice, maybe a bit expensive, for a pencil at least, and the color scheme was odd. It was mechanical, with a little bitty All-Might on it. It was tiny, and probably something he got because it was so low-key.

He really was an All Might fanboy.

The test went smoothly, much smoother than you thought. And when you got your score back at the end of class, you were so happy.

You caught up with Bakugou, and handed him his pencil back.

“Thanks for letting me borrow that, I owe ya one! But look!” You eagerly showed him your score. It was among the highest, only a few marks off from being a perfect score.

“Good job.” Bakugou nodded, slipping his pencil back inside his bag.

“Wanna walk back to the dorms together?” You asked, slipping your test back inside your bag and slinging it around your shoulder.

With a subtle ‘tch’ from Bakugou, the two of you left the class building.

But you were abruptly stopped when the alarms inside started going off. A large explosion caused you and Bakugou to duck from the flying debris.

“What the fuck was that?” Bakugou shouted.

“I don’t know!” You called, looking at him worriedly. You tossed your bag and stood back up, charging over to the where the explosion had gone off.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Bakugou grabbed your wrist, pulling you back.

“Going to help! I can’t just sit here!” You yell, pulling away form him.

“You’re going to get yourself killed dumbass!” Bakugou began running with you, looking at you angrily. He wasn’t made at you, he was just frustrated. 

He admired your selflessness.

Upon arriving at the scene, there were a few injured students you managed to help get to safety, handing them to other nearby students so you could get a closer look at what was happening.

An arm emerged from the rubble, seemingly reaching out for help.

As soon as your hand gripped theirs, you felt your body grow weak. Almost like how you felt when Eraserhead used his quirk. A quick scan resulted in one conclusion: he wasn’t even here yet.

“Got ‘cha!” The voice called. A man jumped out and wrapped an arm around your neck, pulling you away from the rubble.

“(Y/n)!” Bakugou shouted, opening his palms, ready to charge at the mam.

“No no no!” The man yelled, a firm grip around your throat. You coughed, trying to get air back into your lungs. It was a struggle.

“Such smooth skin, you would be perfect for my collection!~” The man caressed your cheek and all you could feel was sick. 

“What do you want?” You asked, your hand gripping at his arm in an attempt to free some space between it and your throat.

“To skin you of course! To store it and sell it! Your skin is delicate and seemingly untouched, it’d be worth a fortune! Let's take a closer look.”

“Don’t fucking touch them!” Bakugou shouted again, waiting for others to get here. They were taking to long.

“Use your quirk already!” Bakugou shouted again.

“I can’t! It won’t work!” You shouted back which resulted in a tighter hold around your throat, sending out more struggled coughs from your airways.

“I don’t see Eraserhead! Why would he-”

“It’s not him silly! It’s me!” The man holding you laughed, his free hand finally reaching around and gripping a knife by your side.

“My touch allows one’s quirk to be blocked. They won’t be able to use their quirk as long as I’m touching them.”

“Get your hands off them you sick fuck!” Bakugou took another step but this was a bad move.

“Take another step and they’ll have 30 seconds to get aid for their severed artery, and frankly, I don’t see anyone around to help unless you can take me out in 5 of those seconds.”

“I’ll be fine! Just go g-get help!” You struggled to speak, your vision becoming spotty from the lack of oxygen.

Think. Bakugou had to think. He was looking for any way to get close to him. But if this guy touched him, he’d be done for. Even without a quirk, this guy looked dangerous, maybe to dangerous for Bakugou to take on quirk-less.

There was one option. 

But it would put you in harms way. 

“Hold on!” Bakugou screamed, charging for the pile of rubble behind where you were being held.

Using an AP shot, Bakugou obliterated the ground the rubble sat on, sending you and the man flying forward. 

It was a big enough gap to give Kirishima, someone who had come to aid at the right time, enough space to grab you from the hold of the villain.

There were going to be several drawbacks though.

- - -

The beeping of a hospital machine was a dull ache in your ears as you rubbed your tired eyes awake. 

You’d survived. A few big bruises from the villain’s hold on your throat, plus two broken ribs from Bakugou’s move to save you, as well as a few scrapes and cuts from debris, you were alive and well.

Bakugou stepped into the room, a worried expression on his features. He’d been worrying for about three days straight now, wondering if you were going to hate him, or if you were even going to wake up.

“There’s my hero.” You say softly, smiling at him as he looks at you, holding a small bouquet of flowers.

“I’ve just seen people bring these in movies. I didn’t know what kind you liked.” Bakugou handed you the flowers and sat down in a uncomfortable chair beside your bed.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful.” You lay them in your lap as you look at him. He’s hurt, but physically fine.

“You saved my life Bakugou. Don’t be so hard on yourself. It took more guts to pull that move of than it would have to beat that guy up.” You reached for his hand. Holding it in your own, you rubbed your thumb over his knuckles.

“I landed you in the hospital, and for two days you were unresponsive!” Bakugou had teary eyes as he looked at you. You felt your heart ache as you looked at him.

“But I’m fine now. I owe you big time now.” You laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“I hurt you. I never wanted to do that.” Bakugou looked down. His abrasiveness was gone. This was rare for him, but the raw emotion was probably something he’d been bottling up for a while.

“You were my hero. Everyone is okay, and that villain is being locked up. I could never hate you ‘Suki.” You reference his first name in the nickname you call him.

“I just care about you so fucking much-”

You lean up and pull him into you, slamming your lips onto his. You were tired of this being ‘just friends.’ This was something you’d been wanting to do for ages now.

Seeing him like this hurt you more than he thought he’d already hurt you. You loved him with every fiber of your being. And so did he.

Kissing you back, Bakugou felt relieved. Like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn’t want to cry anymore, nor did he want to continue moping about.

He’d seen and heard that you were okay, so you had to be right?

“You’re such a dumbass.” Bakugou said as he pulled away, hovering in front of your face.

“For what?!” You smile, looking into his crimson eyes.

“For making me fall in love with you.”

“Then I guess I’m the biggest dumbass there is.”

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[airis-paris14]

Starlight Chapter 13

Summary: Amani is an orphaned heiress who's spent most of her life raising her younger sister. T'Challa is a widowed King and Father. Neither of them is expecting much from their night at the Lotus. But the coming months have many milestones in store for these young adults. Will becoming a family be one of them?

Warnings: N/A

Masterlist

2 months later

“Amani, I’m about to head out,” Amare called, grabbing her house keys off of the hook. “Okay, hold on, I'll be right back Baby.” T’Challa nodded into the phone and muted himself to speak to someone off screen. Amani hurried down the stairs and smiled at her little sister. “Okay, passport, keys, tickets, wallet, and medicine in carryon?”

“Yes mother,” Amare smirked.

“I’m just trying to keep you safe kid,” the older Okeke smiled and pulled her in for a hug. “You’re 18, not 21, so please, no sneaking off without telling Shuri’s guards where you all are going. Limit your alcohol intake, I know it’s legal over there but the last thing I need is a call from a German hospital saying you have alcohol poisoning.”

“I promise I will limit the drinking, and the sneaking out.”

“Good. Have fun, be safe. I love you.” Amani smiled and pulled her sister in for another hug. “Love you too sis. I’ll only be gone for a week.”

“I know, but you know I hate saying goodbye. You’re all I have left kid. But I want to let you live, so go before you miss your flight. Hug Shuri for me.

“I’ll call you when I land.” Amare bounded down the front steps and into her already packed car. Amani sighed watching her wave one last time before pulling off down the street. She waved at the patrol car as it drove by on its hourly surveillance drive by, before locking her door and heading up the stairs into her office. “And I’m back,” she plopped into her seat, reopening her MacBook.

“Personally I don’t think it’s fair that our sisters see each other more than we do,” the king teased. Amani rolled her eyes, “This is their first time seeing each other since we came home, it’s only been two months,” Amani laughed. “Yes, and after having you here for three months, I’ve decided that 61 days is too long to be out of your presence.”

“Well you know I’m working to get the venue started up, I just can’t travel as much as usual. You know I would be there if I could,” Her voice began to tremble.

“I know my love,” T’Challa reassured, “I am just teasing,” he frowned, noticing her eyes tearing up. “I know but lately I’ve just been feeling like such a bad girlfriend,” she began to sob and the king panicked. “Hey no, you’re perfect. Nothing's wrong. It’s on both of us and I was gonna tell you that I was planning to surprise you with a visit.”

“Really?” Amani sniffled.

“Yes so please stop crying entle.” The heiress grabbed a tissue from the box she had begun to keep on her desk after noticing that even the little things made her tear up. “I’m sorry. I ruined the surprise again,” she chuckled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “It is fine, now you have something to look forward to. You hate them anyway,” the king teased.

“Are you sure you’re alright though my love? You have been extra-sensitive lately.”

“In more ways than one,” the heiress murmured. “Have you been to the new doctor, did she run the tests the doctor here ordered?” The king grabbed a stack of papers and began signing them. “Yep,” Amani read over and responded to an email her contractor sent before turning her attention back to T’Challa. “I have an appointment with her tomorrow. She and Dr. Zabulie both sounded very excited so I’m hoping it's a positive result.”

The king smiled at the news, “Well then I’ll be expecting a full report as soon as you know.”

“Of course. I’ll call your mother as well, I wouldn’t even be in this position if you all hadn’t encouraged me to go see another doctor.”

“We both just want what is best for you,” the king smiled, “but unfortunately I have a meeting to attend to my love. I will call you later tonight, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll see you later.” She blew a kiss through the phone before the king had to hang up. After responding to more emails, she scheduled some property manager interviews for later in the week and a building walk through. Her phone caught her attention as it began to ring, “Hello?” She answered. “Hey, Kura and I finished those designs for different set ups and interiors, are you free to go over them?”

“Yeah,” Amani smiled. While in Wakanda she and her friends decided to go into the event business together. They’d bought an old hotel downtown in Atlanta and decided to turn it into a sleepover venue. With suites and rooms designed for different party sizes and moveable features to make the room age appropriate. A spa, boutique, and restaurant, would be located on the grounds as well. There was also a separate grand ballroom and garden that allowed them to market the place as an all in one wedding venue. They’d started work while in Wakanda and now two months later they were weeks away from opening the ballroom, gardens, and other non overnight amenities for event bookings. They would use the money from the rentals to help recover the costs of renovating the hotel rooms.

“Bet. We’ll be over in 30. Sakura has to pick up the pizza first.”

“Cool, don’t forget extra garlic butter sauce. Imma hop in the shower. Y’all can just use your keys to let yourselves in.”

After hanging up the phone Amani hopped in the shower and let the water soothe her muscles. She’d been working so hard to make sure everything came together and it finally was. She was more in love with T’Challa each day, she was starting a business with her friends, and Darius had been spotted in New York living with some family he had there. She still had nightly surveillance, but knowing that he’d move out of the state definitely calmed her nerves.

“Madiyson?” The heiress called as the sound of the front door caught her attention. When she didn’t receive a response she shrugged and figured she had her beats on. She quickly motioned with her coconut oil,slipped into some sweatpants, and pulled a sports bra over her head before a voice sent a chill down her spine. “You’ve been holding out on me Amani.”

Darius got up from his seat behind her on the bed and revealed the kitchen knife he was holding. “If I had known you could look like that, I would’ve made you work out more.”

“How the hell did you get in my house?”

“No Thank you? Darius frowned.

“What do I have to thank you for?”

“Giving you a second chance,” Darius smirked before lunging at the Okeke heiress. Amani, dodged his lunge as he ran into the dresser she was standing in front of. “ A second chance for what you bastard!” The heiress resisted the urge to search for her phone, she knew Darius, he watched her eyes always to anticipate her next move. “You ruined my life. You were supposed to be my wife, look pretty, give me kids. Instead your ass got me locked up for damn near life. Now my dad is all on my ass because he had to call in a favor with the DA and the governor in one sitting-”

“Well maybe your ass should’ve just stayed in jail then!” Amani ducked, expecting the lamp on the nightstand to fly towards her head. She took the moment she dodged the light fixture to locate her phone. It was too far and she knew that she’d never be able to reach it before Darius finished his spiel. She’d have to leave her friends a clue that something had gone wrong.

“Now,” Darius eyed Amani as she backed up against the wall, “as I was saying. Everyone is counting on me to not fuck up! Which means I need to get my old life back, starting with you Ms. Okeke, now heiress of the Okeke Industries Tech Conglomerate.”

“No one will ever believe that we are a happy couple once again Darius, they found me, clinging to life, hypothermic, and bleeding because you literally beat our child out of me. It was on the five o'clock news for weeks straight.” Amani risked eyeing her keys once more, hoping that the plan she was hatching would work.

“What better way to show them that I am a changed man, than by having you forgive me. A redeemed love, a true love,” Darius stepped up to Amani and caressed her cheeks and lips. The woman felt like crawling out of her skin but she held it together. “Why don’t you just find another woman?” Not that Amani wished Darius on any other woman, she’d prefer he’d be locked up in a cell, but she needed to get him to back up. “Does it really matter? I want you, and I’ve already invested a lot in you Amani. You got a little break to have fun and spend time with other men, but you are mine. You always were and you always will be, it’s time I got a return on my investment. “ Darius took a seat on Amani’s bed and she silently rejoiced.

“Okay, then what’s your plan?”

“You don’t need to know all of that. Just know that I’m not leaving you behind Amani.” Darius pointed the knife and Amani nodded, “I’m just gonna grab my keys,” she gestured. “If I go missing, the police will look at all of your father’s and friend’s properties, no one will think I was stupid enought to take you to one of our vacation homes.” At least the waitress hoped this wasn’t the stupidest idea she’d ever had.

“Nah, cause I’m sure your friends and man know all about those places. Not to mention your little sister.”

“Amare is out of the country at a science conference, won’t be home for two weeks, you’ll have time to move me before she can get back. As for the others, they don’t even know we own vacation properties.” Amani scoured through her keys and grabbed the one she knew her sister would recognize as missing first. “Here, we can go to the chateau in the mountains in North Carolina. It’s secluded. No one for miles around.”

Darius stood up, “Nah, there’s a reason you’re helping me. What is it?”

“You’re never gonna leave me alone otherwise. I don’t wanna die, and this is most likely the last time I’ll ever get a decision about something that happens to me. Think of it as my final words.” As soon as the excuse left her mouth Amani felt her mouth go dry and heavy, for some reason, it did feel like she’d sealed her own fate.

“Amani!” Madiyson called as she entered the apartment. Sakura followed in hot on her heels to place the heavy pizzas in the kitchen. “I still don’t know why you ordered four pizzas for 3 people,” Madiyson laughed, dropping all of her interior design sketches and renderings on the table. “As much of a perfectionist each of us is… We're gonna be here all night and y’all are gonna be glad I bought enough pizza.”

“Well if AMANI would BRING. HER. ASS. DOWN. THE. STAIRS we could get started and be done at a godly hour.” Madison yelled up the stairs into the continued silence. “You told her we were coming, right?”Sakura joined her friend at the base of Amani’s stairs and frowned. “Yeah, she said just let ourselves in.”

“Maybe she’s taking a nap, she’s been doing that more often than usual.”

“Oh god, if she’s taking a nap then she’ll be dead to the world right now. You wanna wake her up while I set up?” Madiyson shook her head and walked back over to the couch in the living room. “Sure, just throw me into the lion’s den. You know she hates being woken up by anyone but Amare and Ada.” Sakura whined. “You’ll be fine, she would never hate you. Just make it seem like she woke herself up. Throw a pillow or something.” Madiyson shrugged and opened her laptop.

“Always the sacrifice, never the beneficiary,” Sakura mumbled as she jogged up the stairs into Amani’s room. “Mani,” the afro-asian woman sang as she burst into the room, only to be greeted by a perfectly made bed. “Amani?'' She tried to calm her heartbeat as she checked her friend’s closet and bathroom. “Okay focus, details details,” Sakura chanted to herself. “7:47, no phone in the room, nothing messed up, somebody sat on the bed,” the waitress took note of the room as she backed her way out, down the stairs, and towards the garage. “Hey, did you- what’s wrong,” Madiyson frowned as her best friend opened the garage door and looked out. “Did she say she was gonna leave?” Sakura ignored Madiyson’s original question, feeling her stomach drop at the presence of Amani’s car, and the empty house. “No, she said she was gonna take a shower-”

“Madiyson, She’s not here.”

“Look, I already told you what happened. Madiyson called Amani at 6:30, she picked me up, we picked up the pizzas, let ourselves in, but she wasn’t here when i went to check on her. I went into the room at 7:47. The shower had been turned on and the room was steamy, and someone had sat on her bed but Amani hates that unless she’s about to go to sleep. Except she isn’t in her room sleeping!”

“Why are you all not taking this seriously! Her abusive ex is a known kidnapping threat. For God’s sake she’s had a 24/7 patrol for months because there was fear he would try to retaliate! Now that she’s missing, y’all aren’t doing a damn thing.” Madiyson butted in frustrated at the officers staring at them like they were aliens from outer space.

“Ma’am, we are just trying to get all the facts first-”

I’ve given them to you three times, if you can’t comprehend then we’ve got a bigger problem!” Sakura fumed and the officers stood. “We’ll call headquarters and see what we can do. Technically it has to be 48 hours before we can report and adult as missing-”

“Just get out please,” Madiyson sighed. She held open the door for the officers who hesitated, their feathers obviously ruffled.

“I’ll try calling Amare again.” Sakura stood and walked out after the officers left. Madiyson locked the door and stared up at the clock, realizing she should probably call T’Challa.

“Hello?” Madiyson breathed deeply as the call finally connected to the king, “T, she’s gone,” the woman’s voice warbled but her words shook the king all the same. “What do you mean she is gone?” He stood, immediately stumbling to slip on some shoes and race through the halls to his mother’s room. “Sakura and I came for a meeting, and she wasn’t here. Her car is here but she isn't and she assured us she’d be here taking a shower. Someone else was here because someone was sitting on her bed, at the bottom. You know she hates people ruffling her sheets.”

“Have you talked to Amare? Are you sure she didn’t take her to the airport?”

“We’ve been trying to reach her but she's still on the plane. She would have been back by now if she just went to the airport. She knew we were coming.” Madiyson broke, sobbing into the phone.

T’Challa’s heart dropped, his mind racing back to how he’d begged his lover not to go back until the rumors that her abuser had officially moved were confirmed. Now she was gone and the king felt he had failed to protect her. “Madiyson, Madiyson, I need you to breathe and keep breathing. Did you call the police?”

“Yes, but-“ Madiyson stumbled trying to regain her composure, “they said since it hasn’t been 48 hours it’s not technically a missing persons case.”

The king felt anger rush through his veins, “So they aren’t doing anything?”

“Not really,” Madiyson moved to grab tissue from Amani’s bathroom. “Have her call the detectives over these two imbeciles. She was on 24 hour surveillance due to risk of revenge from her abuser. Them sitting around doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know, I know, I’m heading downstairs right now-” Madison paused as she noticed Amani’s keys on her vanity. “Wait, one of her keys-” Madison trailed off flipping through the keys. “One of her keys is what?” T’Challa knocked on his mother’s door. “It’s missing. When her parents died, she kept keys to all of their properties. With them all labeled with numbers but I don’t know which one is which. Just number three is missing,” Madison ran a hand over her braids and huffed. T’Challa banged on his mother’s door again before taking a step back and pacing the hall. “Okay, You and Sakura just stay there, keep trying to reach Amare. I’m on my way and I’ll try to reach Shuri. See if you can figure out what key is missing.”

“Okay, call us when you land.”

T’Challa hung up the phone, “Umama!” He banged on the door before Ramonda yanked it open. “T’Challa, what in Bast’s name-”

“It’s Amani, she’s missing. We have to go now, can you try to reach Shuri? Her friends think they have a lead but we need to reach Amare.”

“How long has she been missing?” The queen mother rushed back in her room and started to get dressed and pack a bag. “We don’t know, I just got off the phone with Madiyson. They went to the house and she was missing.”

“Did they call the police?”

“They say they can’t report her absence until 48 hours has passed,” T’Challa opened his beads and messaged Okoye. I need you, Ayo, a plane, and five of your best warriors. Meet me on the tarmac in 30.”

“When do we leave?”

“In 30 minutes, I have to pack a bag. Ayo and Okoye will meet us at the tarmac with some back up, can you please try to reach Shuri while I get ready?”

“Yes, I will try calling her.”

The king nodded and turned to rush back to his room. “T’Challa,” Ramonda called out,”We will find her. She will be alright.” He offered his mother a sad smile before continuing down the hall.

“It’s the North Carolina key?”

“Yes. Number 3 it's her favorite number for her favorite house.” Amare insisted as Sakura flipped through the keys again.

“Do you know the address?” Madison interrupted.upiui

“Uh, number 3 Lodge Street Asheville, North Carolina.”

“And you’re sure that is the key that is missing?” T’Challa interrupted Madiyson and Amare. The teen looked at the king through the camera, the lights of the quinjet humming behind her as Shuri watched on. “Yes, I’m positive. Amani is heading to the North Carolina house.”

The king hit the table and turned to his guard, “We are heading to North Carolina. Now.”

“We’ll meet you there-”

“No,” T’Challa and his mother answered at the same time.``You two stay exactly where you are,'' Ramonda demanded. “All due respect, I am not staying over here in Germany when my sister has been kidnapped by her abuser!” Amare rebutted. “Yes, but for all we know he has men looking for you too. As well as Madiyson and Sakura. So until then, at least we know where you are. We are sending Dora Milaje to your hotel.” T’Challa finalized.

“No, I am not standing back when my sister is in danger. I wasn’t there the first time she was saved and opened her eyes, I want to be there this time.” Amare demanded while she teared up and T’Challa sighed. He walked around the desk to look at Okoye and his mother. “You all can head back to Wakanda, once the extra Dora arrive. Once we have her, we’ll bring her back to Shuri’s lab, there you guys can see her.” The king looked at everyone in the room, “Besides, I don’t think it is safe for any of you to be in the US alone right now.”

“So what are you saying?” Sakura sat up from her place on the couch. T’Challa nodded at the general of the Dora Milaje. Okoye tapped her staff and escorted the rest of the warriors out of the home. Once the door had shut the room turned to face T’Challa again. “I have been thinking, especially in light of what has happened to Amani, that you all should move to Wakanda. Stay in the palace of course. I know you two would have to travel for business and Amare we’d have to figure out your schooling, but it is obvious that this government has no vestment in keeping you all safe. I can do something about it and I will, if you all will let me.”

“I don’t know T-” Madiyson started.

“I had been thinking about transferring to study with Shuri, but I don’t know how Amani would take it.” Amare added. “She’s not just gonna give up her independence. She just got it back from Darius,” Sakura added. “I know but it is not safe here, at least for now. As well connected as that fugitive is, who knows what will happen to you all if he goes back to jail. I let Amani convince me she would be safe, and now two months later we are searching for her praying to Bast that she isn’t dead.”

“T’Challa this is not your fault,” Sakura interjected. “I know, but if I can keep you all safe, I have a responsibility to do so. You will have free will and autonomy, but at least inside Wakanda’s borders, I can guarantee your safety.

“I think this is a lovely conversation, but might I remind you all that this is a time sensitive case. Let’s table this discussion until we all make it back to Wakanda” Shuri interrupted the discussion that seemed to be heading towards an endless round table. “Shuri is right, time is of the essence.” Ramonda spoke standing, “everyone comes back to wakanda for the time being. Once we rescue Amani, we send our war dogs to clear any suspicions and make sure it is safe for you all to return. Then we make a decision. Until then-“

“We focus on the task at hand.” Madiyson finished and Ramonda agreed. “Shuri and Amare head back home once the Dora arrive. When we have Amani we’ll let you know.”

“Keep my sister safe T’Challa,” Amare asserted before hanging up. “She’s just nervous,” Sakura reassured. “We are all glad we have someone here to help us this time. But we should get on the road. Darius works fast.” The Afro-Asian waitress added solemnly. The king nodded, “Phambile,” he called and the guards opened the doors escorting everyone to the cars waiting to race to the airport.”

Fourteen Hours Ago

“Amani.” The heiress fumbled to wrap the stick back it s package and hide it on the sink before running out of her bathroom. “Hey,” she offered her younger sister a smile but only received a confused face in return. “Hey, you’re up early, I thought you’d be sleep,” Amare took a seat in one of the overstuffed arm chairs in her sisters bedroom. “I wasn’t feeling well. I got up to take some medicine no biggie,”Amani shrugged. “You go to the doctor again soon right? You should have her check it out.”

“She’s an OBGYN, but I’ll see what she might be able to recommend.”

“Cool, well I’d been thinking-“

“Oh that’s never good,” the heiress laughed as her sister shot daggers her way. “As I was saying. I’ve been thinking about transferring to study in Wakanda with Shuri. It’d make it easier for you to come see Tchalla and I could get accustomed to the culture before we move there-“

“Hey hey, who said we we’re moving to Wakanda?”

“Amani. I’m not dumb or a little girl anymore. I know how marriages and relationships work. I know you live tchalla. I know he loves you. And I know how monarchies work. I also know that T’Challa has asked you to move in or visit more often and that I’m probably the reason you’re hesitant about doing either.”

“You’re right, but I didn’t say anything cause I don’t want you thinking you have to move because of me and T’Challa. I want you to follow your dreams, and dtudying at MIT was one of those dreams.”

“And dreams change, Amare reminded. I used to any to be a ballerina, astronaut, actress, and hear I am studying at MIT. And now, I know that the university of Wakanda can offer me so much more. Plus I’ll get to spend more time with my best friend and take advantage of her lab. It’s a win win!” The young genius insisted. Amani sighed and settled on the chair next to her.

“How about we finish out this fall semester and pick up the conversation over Christmas break. I just don’t want you to regret anything.” The older sister explained.

“That’s fair.” Amare nodded and stood. “Back to you though, are you sure you’re feeling well enough for me to leave?”

“Now you sound like the older sister. I’ll be fine kid, you go have fun at your conference thing in Germany. Have you finished packing?”

“Nope, I wanted to get and early start at the stores so I can pack before my flight.”

“Okay, I’m headed back to sleep. But don’t crash the car and fill up the tank before you come back please.”

“I always do,” Amare smiled before kissing her sister's cheek and slipping out of the room. Once Amani heard the front door shut. She locked herself in the bathroom and unwrapped the third and final test. She sat them all in a row before flopping down on the toilet.

“Shit.”

Taglist: @almostpurelysmut @blackbypurpose @tchoking @sisterwifeudaku @wikiwakanda @royallyprincesslilly @90sinspiredgirl @thedelightfulone @autumn242 @purple-apricots @kumkaniudaku @queertrex @kaciidubs @halfrican-heat @skysynclair19 @dramaqueenamby @leahnicole1219 @kreolemami @mzbritt @derangedcupcake @chaneajoyyy @lalapalooza718 @ororowrites @leahnicole1219 @sarcastic-sunshines @sarahboseman @faatassbitch @lady-love-and-glitter-roses @cxnismajcr @tchallasbabymama

[sirenizuku]

Or if we’re blind and the truth is just a painting in grey..

Izuku midoriya x gender-neutral reader!

BTW y/f/c stands for Your Favourite Color

 Quirk info: Your quirk, Siren, allows you to have most of the characteristics of a siren. You can hypnotise the weak-willed with your voice, alluring them to do whatever you wish. You can breathe underwater AND on land, because i can’t keep you in the water if I want you to go exist near 1-a. You also have razor-sharp teeth for biting people, though one of the downsides of biting people is that you enter a euphoric/manic state whenever you accidentally drink someone’s blood. Allllsoooo your legs turn into fins in water and vice versa Y’know. But they still have scales!!! Cute little scaly legs. Also other downsides include:Sore throat from singing, weakened immune system (not too badly) and occasional aches in the gills

Summary: You’ve been a villain your whole life, or at-least since your quirk developed... But you aren’t really a villain. You’re a vigilante, and even still that term angers you… Because some vigilantes claim to kill for justice, and maybe if you disagree with that you aren’t one. But you’ve never killed anyone and you never plan to. Unlike those ‘heroes’ who claim to fight for justice, killing all those who oppose them.

If you asked yourself, it doesn’t matter what somebody’s done.

Because if you kill them, that’s just another life taken…

And they have the gall to excuse it with their sickening justice.

You hate heroes.

————;=+ Act 1; In which a siren sings her encore +=;————

You lied. There was one person you wouldn’t mind killing.

All Might.

And so, You had managed to engage a student of UA whilst trying to break in.

You just wanted him dead, is that too much to ask? Actually, don’t answer that. Hell, He was putting up such a fight that you’d happily just leave at this point! You didn’t want all-might dead THAT badly.

Suddenly, you’re snapped out of thoughts by Izuku going in for a punch. You hiss in anger as you quickly throw yourself out of the way, hearing a rib or two of yours cracking.

God.

Dammit.

’I’ll be fine for now.’ you mumble, standing up. You look Izuku in the eye, watching as his face swirls from anger to hate to pity to an apologetic look then repeating. Stop it, you think.

Stop pitying me, you think again.

He’s readying an attack, you notice. His stance tenses slightly when he’s charging an attack.

Your eye twitches as you seethe in rage. Finally, you begin to get too frustrated. You sigh, readying your voice to sing your song in one of its purest forms.

The boy hisses in confusion, seemingly trying to break out of your hypnosis. You tut.. He’d have so much potential, had it not been ruined by these ‘heroes’

Finally, you begin. Your voice wavers for a second at the beginning, but you manage to iron out most imperfections. Slowly but surely, the greenette’s eyes glaze over and he steps towards you.

You smile genuinely, for it has been far too long since you last hypnotised someone.

The boy stands awaiting your orders and you slowly stand, wincing. “Lucky for you, little bunny, - ow, - I didn’t plan on killing any students today, or any day, really..” you say, still pondering what to order him. ”Ah, Right, Tell me, little bunny, where is.. All might?” You sigh. you’ve always thought the name All Might was dumb.

The boy slowly points down the hall and you smile, turning on your heel. Your smile drops immediately as Eraserhead’s capture weapon wraps around you. It’s not too uncomfortable, all things considered, but you’d rather not be in it. And so, You struggle, attempting to bite the ‘scarf.’

It does not work, clearly, as you listen to your teeth scratch across the material. He seems to hum in realisation as he sees your teeth, scarp and triangle-shaped, clearly made for eating meat. You keep struggling as you lose energy, the pure adrenaline running through your bloodstream slowly fading out. Your struggling fades from ‘Feral cat’ to ’angry cicada’ in the span of about 20 seconds.

And the worst part? The ‘hero’ who caught you didn’t even react.

You feel the scarves tighten, cutting off your oxygen and covering your gills. After about 30 more seconds, you begin to pass out.

————;=-+ Act 2; In which..  Interviews amiright +-=;————

You awake in the UA interview room. More so an actual interview room than.. an impromptu villain interview room.

It still peeved you to be considered a villain, but at least it’s better than being considered a hero... You glance down to your hands, stuck in handcuffs. You aren’t all that uncomfortable, really, and you can’t help but be glad it’s warm in UA. Better than the streets, at the very least.

You glance down at your legs, thick scales running up them and slowly dissapearing at your hips. They glow a brilliant light Y/F/C, darkening at the edges where light doesn’t fully reach them. There’s some traces of a scalpel inspecting them, you judge by the perfectly straight scratches leading up some. You snort, imagining their confusion. Suddenly, a voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

”What’s so funny?” It says. You assume it’s an older man, judging by tone. “Ahh.. so there is someone listening,” you smile, “Were you inspecting the scales?” You say, cutting yourself off a few times with short-lived laughs. You hear a sharp sigh of exhaustion from the speaker.

”Name?” They ask. You decide to respond, despite the part of you telling you to be rebellious and silent. ”Technically don’t have one. Pronounced dead,” you sigh, “Try searching y/n y/ln”

Theres a 10 minute pause consisting mostly of you getting lost in your thoughts, before somebody seems to relay info to the mysterious voice (tm).

”Pronounced dead.. at age 5.” they say and you giggle. “Big surprise! I’m not dead.” You say, voice dripping with venom. There’s a resigned sigh as you avert your eyes.

So competent they just decided you were dead.

”Quirk?”

You giggle. ”My quirrrk?” You draw out the r, “It’s siren.”

”Siren as in ambulance siren?” The voice says.

”Siren as in man-eating mermaid.” You answer, though you dislike calling yourself a mermaid.

”…” There’s a short pause followed by… silence. Pure silence. It’s deafening, really, and your mind can’t help but imagine all the ways they could kill you.  A few minutes later,  a staff member - not eraserhead, luckily - walks in and removes the restraints. You flex your hands at the newfound freedom, immediately raising a hand to your gills which are placed upon your neck, as they try - and fail, due to you having lungs for on land - to suck in air. You stumble over to the camera, assuming - and hoping,  - that there’s a microphone there too.

“You guys got any water bottles?” You ask, scratching at your gills. A few moments later, another staff member - it might be the same one, actually, - walks in with two bottles. Your eyes light up and you immediately open one, pouring it into your gills. You feel some relief at having ‘cleaned’ them  out. It’s never fun when you get gunk. though, for a second, you are concerned that the water might be poisoned.

You take your other water bottle, pouring out a little bit onto your palm. There’s enough water left to soothe your sore throat, since you are now realising that you weren’t, at all, ready to use your song at such a high perfection level. Slowly, You run your now-wet palm up your scales, moistening them slightly. It feels nice, okay? Don’t judge, It’s rude.

”hang on..” you mumble, spinning on your heel to walk around the room. “did those assholes take my phone?” You ponder aloud. There’s a short crackle from the speaker, followed by a “Yes.”

”oh.” you sigh, kicking your legs up onto a table. You immediately fall over, since you managed to forget you were standing.

”Hey, what time is it?” you say into the void, hoping the mic will pick you up. “16:34” they say.

“cool!” You say, ironically  unenthusiastically.

After a few minutes, you begin to get bored. You decide to whine to the mic. “I’m borrrreeeddd….” you whine, seemingly forgetting you’re literally a criminal.  Not a big one, but a criminal. Of

Theres a short click from the door as a staff member opens it, they’re holding a phone. Not your phone, sadly, but a phone. “Hell yeah!” You say, bounding over to the phone. You grab it as the staff member hurries out the room, seemingly afraid. “Don’t get any ideas, it’s tracked.” The voice says, once again coming from the speaker at a slightly-lower-than-comfortable volume.

You scroll through the mostly blank phone, until you stumble upon a group-chat. ‘Class 1-A,’ It’s named.

Huh, you think, clicking on it.

————;=+ Act 3; In which you make fun of class 1-a +=;————

Class 1-A

16:47

Tsu: We still up for girl’s movie night?

Y/n: mowovie night

Kirishima: huh???

Bakugou: WILL YOU STOP BLOWING UP MY FUCKING PHONE

Bakugou: FOR FIVE

Bakugou: MINUTES

Y/n: will youwu stowop blowoing uwup my fuwucking phowone owo

Bakugou: I AM GOING TO TEAR YOU APART

Kaminari: lol

Kaminari: Wait who’s that?

Kirishima: bro yeah who IS that

Iida Ten

Bakugou: STOP PARROTING EACH OTHER YOU DUMBASSES

Y/n: stowop parrowoting each owother youwu duwumbasses owo

Bakugou: I’LL RIP YOU APART

Y/n: I’ll rip yowouwu awpart…

Kaminari: Bakugou hang on lmfao

Momo: Theres nobody named y/n in our class

y/n: i’m ur uncle

Momo: Who’s uncle?

y/n: yes <3

Tsu: ?

Izuku: Guys, please stop blowing up my phone I’m trying to watch tv,,,

y/n: izuwukuwu

Izuku: Huh,,,,?

y/n: huwuh,,,?

Izuku: Why is everyone messaging me???? and telling me not to use this chat???

Bakugou: WE COULD‘VE EXPLAINED IT TO YOU IN DMS YOU IDIOT

Y/n: we cowouwuld’ve explained it towo yowouwu in dms yowouwu idiowot

Tenya IIda: Please stop sending so many messages in the chat. I am trying to sleep.

y/n: damn lemme just stop my hilarity so you can sleep /s

y/n: wait

y/n: I mean uhh

y/n: please stowop sending sowo many messages in the chat. I am trying towo sleep.

Tenya Iida: Please do not make fun of what I say. Please remember I am a moderator here,

Y/n: ’moderator’ bitch this is a gorilchat

y/n: shit

y/n I mean groupchat

y/n: also I mean

y/n: Please dowo nowot make fuwun owof what I say. Please remember I am a mowoderatowor.

Kirishima: srsly who is this

y/n: me looking into a mirror ^^^

Bakugou: ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION

y/n: woahh calm down there hot stuff

y/n: get it

y/n: because you’re not hot

Momo: Can’t say they’re wrong there, Bakugou.

Kirishima: ^ Don’t be mean to bakubro!!!

y/n: are any of you organic creatures

Kaminari: I am

y/n: give life juice pls thx

Kirishima: they’re reverting back into gamer speak from their hunger :ooooo

y/n: what u want me to talk like mr stick-up-my-ass iida

Tenya Iida: Please refrain from using profanity, Y/n!

y/n:  wow I’m so sorry I’ll never do it again (1/2)

Tenya Iida: Thank you.

y/n: I mean really I’ll never do it again mr stick-up-my-ass iida (2/2)

Bakugou: KARMA FOR TELLING MEMTKO GET MY FEET OFF MY DESK

y/n: wow mr not-hot did you just have a stroke

Bakugou: I’M GONNAKILL OYU

Y/n: well I hope Oyu is ok

Y/n: also if you’re wondering who I am

y/n: sorry for lying (I’m not)

y/n: Y/n sent a photo

(PHOTO ID: A photo of a young girl, seemingly. they’re no older than 16, by the looks of it. They have brilliant y/f/c scales across their entire legs that fade out near the hips. Her face is pulled into a grin with razor-sharp teeth unlike that of a human.)

Kirishima: wasn’t Izuku fighting someone like that in the hall

Y/n: bingo! fingetbuns

Y/n: *fingergusn

y/n: fINGERSUNS

y/n: NO

y/n: FUNGHUNS

Y/n: HFJFHHFJDIDBJDIFH FINGERHUNS

Izuku: it’s okay, take your time (:

Y/n: FINWR GUNS

Kirishima: ur getting there bro!!!

Y/n: FINGERGUSN

y/n: NO

Y/n: Finger guns

Bakugou: STOP FUCKING SPAMMING

Kirishima: i’m so proud of my mermaid son

Y/n: siren*

Kirishima: I’m so proud of my mermaid siren

Y/n: yeah ok I guess

Y/n: serious question

Y/n: does anyone have a small amount of blood

Y/n: that they’d be willing to gift towards me

Kaminari: wtff

Kirishima: bro I got some right here

y/n: give pls

Kirishima: where do I have to go B)

Y/n: go find aizawa and tell him to give blood to the siren girl

Kirishima: oki

-——————-

In the UA interview room, You smile down at your phone.

They’re actually willing to be kind to you, even if you just fought them. You’re actually happy.

It’s an odd feeling,

But it’s one you’d like to keep.

-——————-

Class 1-A

17:22

Y/n: I got my blood

y/n: down the hatch

Kirishima: kindness is manly

y/n: damnfucki; right iwns tis

Kaminari: huh

Izuku: are you okay

y/n: bkoodjsm

Izuku: i think they’re saying blood?

y/n: hehe

Bakugou: STOP BEING WEIRD

y/n: djhrnsia rothg god i am so fhilarous

y/n:  nr igni kimsh

y/n: ithink I might have anxiey

y/n: anxieuty

Kirishima: bro u okay?

Mineta: cute…

y/n: i am going to hurt you

AUTO: MINETA left the chatroom

Momo: oh thank god

Jirou: ^^^^

y/n: hwlrnd

y/n: how say

y/n: how say jrlis

y/n: jirou

Jirou: jee-roh

y/n: skfnsj blood make

y/n: me is haopy

Izuku: Blood makes you happy?

y/n: yed

Izuku: it’s very interesting to have a quirk that’s mutation but also allows you to gain serotonin/dopamine

Izuku: what else does your quirk do?

y/n: sing sovng

y/n: make peop,e do what I want

y/n: but hurt throat

y/n: leg turn fin

y/n: make hunfhyehdbvlood

Izuku: I’m designing a hero costume as we speak!

Bakugou: NERD

Kirishima: manly!

Izuku: (:

y/n: thenhahighswearingiffof

Izuku: translation: The high is wearing off

y/n:  thus koamsjs

y/n: brb

——

y/n: ): high wore off

Izuku: What WAS that?

Y/n: blood side effect

Y/n: its really fun

Izuku: Hang on

Auto: Izuku called Sensei Aizawa

——

Class 1-A

18:12

Izuku: ok I asked eraserhead n he said he doesn’t mind (:

Izuku: Can I interview you

Y/n: do I get blood after

Izuku: Sure!

Y/n: DEAL

———

You look down at your phone.

It’s been a hour of you scrolling the internet, looking at memes that only earned a short snort from you.

You’re tired, although it’s only 19:32.

You decide it doesn’t matter, and that you’ll sleep.

You spin around on your heel, before pausing. There’s no bed.

Ah well. Floor looks awfully comfy.

-———

You awake around 9Am with only the light of an old lightbulb to illuminate the room. You miss seeing the light from the water, sitting on a rock until the sun finally peaked... But you were lonely, back then. You aren’t sure whether or not you want to go back to those days.

A small knock at the door alerts you of Izuku coming around for his interview. He’s holding a notebook that has ‘Y/N quirk’ messily written on.

He glances down at your legs, covered in shimmering scales. His eyes light up with fascination, to which you chuckle. “You can touch.” You say, watching his hand reach down to the y/f/c coloured scales.

His hand runs gently over them. You grin watching his fascination, and he looks up. He pulls a fold-out seat from the hallway, placing it behino the table before placing himself upon it.

You sit down on the opposite table, smiling. He glances up towards your teeth, watching them glimmer. “Don’t they.. hurt your gums?” He asks.

“Oh, these,“ you press a finger against the top of your tooth, immediately drawing blood, “the skin near them is hardened so they don’t stab me.”

you watch him turn his head down immediately and start writing in his notebook. You glance over, watching him write down all the info about your quirk. He seems to be sketching a costume on the side.

”Oh, don’t forget the voice thing.” You notify to him. He glances up, eyes questioning, tilting his head like a puppy. “Cute.” You say flirtatiously. He turns bright red, averting his eyes before trying to change the subject. “S-so.. if I were to film your song would it still hypnotise me?” He asks.

You wink at him. “Wow, wanting to listen to me sing already..” You say, “I’m just kidding, It wouldn’t hypnotise you, but you might cry. Just a side effect.”

Izuku averts his eyes, blushing furiously. “Could I get a r-recording of it.”

Does he really have a crush on me? You think. Is that really why he wants a recording of me singing?

You respond with a mere “Yeah, sure.” He nods, pulling his phone out of his pocket, ”Should I leave?“ he asks, and you nod.

As soon as he leaves, the pull of your quirk on your phone begins.

You derive your tune from the one you’d sing at the beach. It’s sad and melancholic but there’s an upbeat note, reminiscing on times where you felt free even if there was a tug upon your heart. The air seems to split, allowing the vibrations of your song to pull across the air. It’s not the perfected version, but it’s close.

You love to sing, really, but you’ve always felt bad. you’re only good at singing when you’re using your quirk.

Finally, your song fades out and you hit the record button to turn it off. There’s now a 3:30 minute long recording on Izuku’s phone.

You open the door to see Izuku with a pair of earplugs in, so you push aside your shock at the fact you could just open the door.

You tap him, watching him jump. So cute, you both think in unison.

So cute.

You him his phone, having now secretly added your number.

Very sneaky.

—————

13:36

Izuku: Very sneaky lol

Y/n: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  what can I say I’m an assassin.

Y/n: btw tell aizawa to get me a bed lmfao

Izuku: You don’t have a bed!? Where did you sleep last night?

Y/n: floor comfy

Izuku: lol weird

Y/n: said the boy with a notebook about me (⁄ ⁄•⁄Ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

Izuku: bullying

Y/n: possibly <3

———

Another day passes, more texts coming back and forth from Izuku. He’s really flirting.. huh…

He’s cute. You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the familiar ding of Izuku messaging you

———

Izuku: wyd lol

Y/n: nursing my sore throat lol I practiced my song too much

Izuku: :o oh no

Y/n: it’s fine B) I’m too cool to be defeated by a mere sore throat

Izuku: lol (:

Y/n: wyd

Izuku: just went to recovery girl!!! I broke a finger again ):: I was making so much progress,,

Y/n: it’s not reverting your progress!! It’s still progress.

Izuku: y/n you’re gonna make me cry..

Y/n: go listen to that recording then crybaby

Izuku: THAT RECORDING LITERALLY MAKES ME CRY ):::::

Y/n: yeah cuz ur a crybaby <3

Izuku: stopppp bullying meee <3

Y/n: it always looks like ur flirting when you put a <3 (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

Izuku: does that mean that you’re flirting?

Y/n: possibly

———

A few more days pass, flirtatious messages passing back and forth.

They’re just a joke, you’d think, blushing furiously.

———

15:32

Y/n: IzukuHeklp

Izuku: ??? Whats wrong??

Y/n: ripped scalepain

Y/n: Y/n sent a photo message

(Photo ID: It’s a picture of y/n’s y/f/c scales. One appears to have been ripped off of her skin, and there’s blood coming from underneath it. Through the blood you can just barely see an underdeveloped scale that was going to replace the broken scale when it was ready.)

———

You’re pulled out of your agony but Izuku slamming open the door, rushing to your side. He’s holding a piece of cloth clearly ripped off of his shirt. He wraps it around your leg gently, watching attentively as it soaks up blood. He picks you up bridal-style, not even noticing the way both you and him blush heavily.

(By the time you’ve reached Recovery girl, the piece of cloth is almost as red as your face.)

You lay on the small bed, bleeding now stopped due to recovery girls quirk. You glance toward izuku, tears welling up in his eyes. You gently pat his head, watching him watch you.

”Stooppp cryingggg” you whine.

Recovery girl watches you with a look that says “oh to be young and in love..”

Izuku pouts. “Make me.” He sighs jokingly.

You spot your opportunity there. “What if I told you that you could come ’round to my room later?” You say blushing.

Izuku turns tomato-red, nodding.

————

As soon as your out of recovery girls office, Izuku follows you like a puppy. You glance toward the bandage now wrapped around your leg to stop infection. Turns out ‘you didn’t have enough energy to fully heal it from all those all-nighters‘ or something.

You open the door to your room, fairy lights turned on and glowing purple. There’s a small sofa that fits two and Izuku beelines for it. You’re so glad Aizawa let you decorate your room. You sit down next to him, cunning your perfect plan.

”I think I hate all-might a little less, now-“ you say, preparing yourself for the infodump from Izuku.

“i’m so glad! You know, ever since the toxic chainsaw fight-“ Izuku begins, not noticing you tune him out after 5 minutes. “Stop infodumping..” you say playfully and he picks up on it. “Make me!” he pouts.

”Sure.” You smirk, leaning in.

As soon as your lips collide, Izuku seems to blank out. He’s blushing red like a tomato. The rain outside seems to quieten over the roar of your pounding hearts..

And you don’t regret it at-all.

Once you finally pull away from the kiss, izuku’s a stuttering mess. “Wh-W-What does th-this make us?…” he asks, stuttering and stumbling over his words. You chuckle, leaning in close to his face so you’re essentially in his lap. “I think you know..” you coo into his ear, watching it slowly turn pink.

He nods slowly, watching you. “So.. I was thinking about a beach date?” you say, softly. He giggles slightly, although he still stumbles over the sound. “Sounds to me like you just want to go into the water..” he says.

You look him in the eye.

”I never said you couldn’t come into the water, too..”

[carrotmakar]

Arrangement

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Word Count: 6.1k+ (I AM SO SORRY THAT IT’S SO LONG)

Summary: Tom gives you an offer you can’t refuse

Warning(s): It’s not edited, sorry.

A/N: This is my submission for the throwback writing challenge that @naturallytom is doing! I hope you enjoy!!

Add yourself to my taglist here 

Masterlist

How did I end up in this situation? You ask yourself as you stand arm in arm with the one and only Tom Holland. There were flashing lights all around you, temporarily blinding you. There was nothing that you could possibly focus on. Nothing at all, except for the way that he held you to keep you steady.

Oh, yeah, I’m crazy. You think as you begin to walk slightly farther down the red carpet in a dress that costs more than you make in an entire year at your job. But are you really crazy? Who in their right mind would turn down an offer like the one that he gave you? You couldn’t think of a single person, which made you feel slightly better about the situation.

*

It had started as a normal Saturday. 

Your alarm went off at seven a.m. sharp. Your eyes snapped open, slightly disturbed by the blaring noise. There were broken rays of sunlight flowing into your room, making everything way brighter than it needed to be. You groaned to yourself, dreading the day you had ahead. 

You groggily pulled yourself out of bed, almost tripping over your own feet a million times. You stumbled around your room, finding everything you needed to take a quick shower. Once you found all the necessities, you quickly went to the bathroom to clean yourself and try to get you looking presentable. You stepped out of the shower less than 15 minutes later, having washed your hair and your body in record time, while also remembering to shave since your uniform consisted of a short sleeve shirt and a skirt - since the weather had turned almost unbearably hot. 

Your brain wasn’t even fully functioning yet, you were just going through the motions, doing what you do every morning when you have to go into work for an early shift.

With a cup of freshly brewed coffee and your keys in hand, you rushed out the door. You didn’t want to be caught in traffic, knowing that it would set you back by at least 30 minutes, which would in turn make you late for work. Traffic always ruined perfectly good mornings, and you wanted today to be a good day. 

*

You got to the small, corner side cafe where you work almost twenty minutes before your shift was scheduled to start, so you sat down at a table and pulled out your laptop to get some writing done. You barely have any time to write, so when you did, you seized the opportunity. You had been working on the same piece for weeks, and you were beginning to lose hope in ever finishing it, so having this time to work on your piece made your day just that much better.

You had gotten almost four pages of the story done when your manager walked up in front of you, carrying herself like she was the best person in the world. Her face held her signature smirk, letting you know that the day was about to take a turn for the worse, at least until she left in a few hours.

“Time to clock in, y/n. Wouldn’t want to be late. You heard what the boss said if you’re late again.” You shut your laptop and put it away carefully in your bag. 

You are completely aware of what he said to you. If you’re late one more time, whether it be because of traffic or not, you’re fired. He doesn’t care if you live forever away and the traffic sucks, he even went so far as to suggest that you find a job closer to home.

After you clocked in and laid your computer in the back room, you went to the schedule to see where they had you working for the day. You were assigned to man the cashier, which you normally wouldn’t complain about, but there were barely any customers. Within the first four hours that you were on the clock, maybe ten customers walked in and ordered something. And the last five were together. There were barely any orders, which meant that you spent the majority of your time at work wiping things down, making sure that everything was spotless, until a customer came in.

It’s going to be a really uneventful day, You thought to yourself. Days like these always were. They were the kinds of days that wore you down and made you feel even more tired after a shift than if you had been running around all day

Little did you know, this was not going to be one of those days.

Less than an hour before close, a man walked in. At first, you paid absolutely no attention to him. You were still wiping off a counter, waiting for him to come up to the register so that you could take his order. You had barely even looked up, just paying attention to how far away he was from the front counter. 

But when you actually did look at him, the air was knocked out of your lungs. 

Harrison Osterfield was standing right in front of you.

It took everything in your entire being to make your voice not shake when you asked, “What can I get for you today?”

He flashed you his award winning smile and rattled off his order. Surprisingly enough, it was quite simple. You quickly typed it into the register, assuming that the coffee would be the only thing he ordered seeing as he was alone. Before you could tell him his total however, he stopped you. 

“One second, love. My mate, Tom is coming too. Just got the text, let me get a tea for him, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Will that be all for today?” There was a slight shake in your voice that time, you having no luck concealing it. Tom Holland? Thomas Stanley Holland was about to walk into the small cafe that you work in? What are the odds?

“Yeah, that’s all, love. Thank you.” He hands you a fifty dollar bill and says, “Keep the change. Buy yourself something that’s almost as lovely as you are.”

You couldn’t help but blush as he walked away. Usually, you would take this as an insult, but the way he worded it made it seem like less of one. Usually the guys that left you tips were old men that either took pity on you or waited around after one of your shifts to see if you’d sleep with him because he gave you an extra five bucks.

But this was Harrison Osterfield, he wasn’t that kind of guy. Or at least, he seemed to not be that kind of guy.

A few moments later, their drinks were ready and you carried them out to Harrison so he wouldn’t have to get up again. You didn’t usually do this, but come on, these drinks are for two of the best actors you had ever come across.

“Thanks, sweetheart.” He says with a smile as you sit down the drinks.

“No problem.” You all but mumble as you turn around, slightly intimidated by his presence. You keep your eyes trained on the floor so that nobody can see how much you're blushing. Maybe it’s how he’s literally one of the most attractive guys on the planet, or maybe it’s because of the accent, but everything that he says seems to be getting to you today.

That wasn’t your brightest idea, however, looking at the floor in a cafe when you should be watching where you were going. Before you knew it, you bumped into something hard.

You look up, expecting it to be a wall, since it didn’t move one bit. You’re pretty clumsy. 

As soon as your eyes lock with the chocolate colored ones attached to the brunette in front of you, you wish it was a wall that you had run into. That would have been a lot less embarrassing. 

“Are you alright, darling?” Tom asks you, putting his, rather large,  hands on your shoulders, ensuring that you’re steady and won’t trip in any way. 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, I should’ve been watching where I was going.” You look down at the floor, embarrassed that you were clumsy enough to foolishly run into someone as important as him.

He chuckles, making your eyes shoot back up to meet his. Great, now he’s laughing at you.

It seems almost idiotic of you to think that today was going to be a great day. Yeah, it had started out that way, but all great days can change in an instant.

“No, no, it’s all on me. I was blinded by how gorgeous you are. Should’ve been focusing on not running into you and ruining my first impression.” His cheeks immediately turn a slight shade of pink, making him look even cuter than he already is. For a moment, you find it hard to believe that someone as perfect as him could be blushing and calling someone like you gorgeous.

“Oh, please, you could never ruin your first impression. I mean, just look at you.” You compliment, hoping you’re not being too forward, not wanting to scare him off when you just met him.

“Why, thank you, darling. I’m Tom.” God, that accent will be the death of you.

“I’m y/n. It’s nice to see that you still introduce yourself to people.” Most famous people that walked into this cafe expected everyone to know exactly who they were, even if they had only been in two episodes of a TV show or one film.

“Of course I introduce myself, I can’t automatically expect you to know who I am. For all I know, you hate movies.” He has a shy smile on his face, kind of like he was hoping you did like movies.

“Well, Tom, I do, in fact, like movies. But it’s sweet that you’re so humble about your major role in the film industry.” 

“It’s not that major, love. I’m just Spider-Man.” He talks about the role like it’s not that big of a deal, but you can see the way his eyes light up and the large smile that comes to his face.

“You are not just Spider-Man. Sorry if I’m being too direct here, but, in my opinion, Spider-Man will forever be the best superhero.” It’s your turn for your cheeks to tint pink. You can’t begin to process why you’re being this forward, this flirtatious. It’s the accent. Has to be.

“Is that so?” He smirks.

Oh what you would give to know what he was thinking at that exact moment. You may never know, however, because your boss interrupts the conversation you’re having.

“Y/N come back here, we have other customers than the Holland kid.” You roll your eyes at her and flash Tom an apologetic smile before reluctantly walking back to the counter.

There was not another customer in sight. There were barely any cars in the parking lot or on the street surrounding the cafe. Sounds about right, your manager had a long list of crazy rules for when she was the highest authority in the store. One of the biggest was that you’re not supposed to mingle with the customers for too long. She could have at least come up with a better excuse, though. Maybe Tom had liked your little cafe, and because of the rude comment, never wanted to come back.

*

The store is about five minutes from closing when Tom walks up to the register. 

“When’s your shift over, darling?” He has a cheeky smile on his face. For a split second, you let yourself internally groan. You had hoped he was different, that he wasn’t like every other guy that tried to pick you up after shifts. 

But then you realized, this was Tom Holland. There was no way in the world that he was like that. 

“Try to be more subtle, Holland. The directness doesn’t look too good on you.” You joke, knowing full well that it looks great on him. And honestly, if that’s what he had been asking, you would have pushed aside the part of you that was internally groaning and went right with him. Because, come on, it would be crazy to say no.

“I don’t want to sleep with you, love. I want to talk to you about something.” He smirks, obviously amused that you assumed he wanted to take you home with him.

You blush at that, embarrassment setting in. “I get off in less than five minutes.”

“Alright, sweetheart, my mate and I will be waiting in the car.” He points to an Audi sitting out front. “Meet us there. I’ll make Harrison sit in the back.”

“Alrighty, Tom, I’ll see you in five.” You give him a sweet smile, although you were extremely confused as to why you would be meeting him in his car.

Was he going to kidnap you? Who cares? He’s hot.

He turns and walks out the door as you rush to get everything done.

*

When your area is cleaned, you all but sprint to the back to get your laptop bag.

“Bye, everyone. Have a good night!” You yell, making sure everyone hears you. You always tell everyone goodbye before you leave, it’s just something that you’ve grown accustomed to. You started it the day that you began working at the cafe, and everyone liked the idea of it. So, it just kinda stuck.

You walk out of the cafe and head to the sleek, obviously expensive, silver car awaiting your presence. You open the passenger door and slip into the seat.

“Hello, love.” Tom greets you at the same time as Harrison says, “Dang, I owe you.”

“Hello, Tom. Harrison, why do you owe Tom?” The confusion is written all over your face as you look between the boys for an answer.

Harrison visibly gulps before replying, “I bet Tom that he scared you away and that you weren’t going to show.”

“Well, he was quite forward, but what person in their right mind would be told to come meet you two and not show up to, at least, see what it was you needed to talk about?” You sure couldn’t imagine someone turning down the offer.

“Exactly, Harrison. But, love, we do need to talk to you.” Tom says, turning your attention back to the actual reason that you are sitting in a car that costs more than probably three years worth of paychecks, with two very handsome men.

“Alright, fire away. What is it?” You’re more curious than ever, wondering what could be so important.

“So, my management is pushing me to find someone that will attend events with me.” His face contorts in embarrassment, already seeming to regret his decision of asking you anything. “They say that ‘a young bachelor like me will draw more attention if I am seen with a pretty lady by my side.’” He doesn’t exactly look embarrassed anymore, it’s more of a look filled with disgust at how his management team worded their statement. “Something about being more desirable if I’m taken. I don’t know. However, I do want to please my management, no matter how stupid they sound. And when I was talking to you in the cafe, you seemed to be sweet. And you’re gorgeous. And I felt like our conversation just kind of flowed.” He hesitates for a second, as if to see if you were following along or if you were lost.

He continued after you nodded for him to do so. “So basically, y/n, what I’m asking is, for the proper compensation, would you be that girl for me?”

“Wait, wait, wait. You, Tom Holland, are asking me, y/f/n y/l/n, to be the girl you take to major events?” You’re trying your best to wrap your head around the situation. 

“Well, not just that.” Harrison pipes up hesitantly.

“What else could there be?” Your voice is laced with confusion, and you know by the way that he places his arm on your leg to calm you, that Tom hears it.

“You would have to stay with me for a little while. Don’t worry though, if you say yes, we have guest rooms, so it wouldn’t be too invasive.” You can tell that he’s trying his best to make you as comfortable as possible with this. “You would need to go places with me, outside of these events. Nobody could know that the relationship is fake. Which means that our families and friends will have to be involved. Everyone, besides my management, and the three of us, would have to believe that it was real.” He avoids eye contact with you for a second, as if he was embarrassed to be asking something like this. 

You understand, though. He’s 23, he shouldn’t have to be tied down by a woman just because of his management. He should have the ability to choose what he wants to do with his life, especially the romantic aspect of it. 

“You can say no, of course.” Harrison says from behind you. “We wouldn’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

“Yeah, there’s no need for you to do this if you don’t wan-” Tom begins, reaching a hand behind him to scratch his neck.

“I’ll do it.” you interrupt, surprising both of the boys in the car.

“Wait, really. That easy?” Tom asks.

“You seem surprised, Holland.” It wasn’t like you had anything better to do. You worked at a corner side cafe for a manager that absolutely hated you, and you had no relationships, so you were completely free.

“Well, I kind of am, love. I didn’t expect for you to say yes that fast. If at all. I expected for you to have to think about it for a few days. And then ultimately say no. But, alright. I’ll set up a meeting with my management so we can go over a contract and what your payment should be.” He pulls out his phone to put everything in his calendar.

“There’s no need for payment. I don’t need your money. I’m just here to help.” In reality, you probably could use the money, but that wasn’t the kind of person that you are. You like to help people, and you never, ever ask for anything in return.

“You really know how to pick the perfect girl, don’t you mate?” Harrison says. You look back at him and he has a smile on his face. He doesn’t seem to be joking. That thought makes your stomach storm with butterflies and your cheeks instantly heat up.

“Seems like it. Everyone else would’ve wanted my money. You just seem like you’re doing this to benefit me. Nobody seems to be that genuine these days.” Tom says, his eyes never leaving yours. Of course you’re genuine. Just because he’s famous doesn’t mean that he’s any less of a human being. You would help anyone in a situation like this. If they needed you, you wouldn’t hesitate to be their fake girlfriend for a week or two.

At least, that’s what you tell yourself. But would you really say yes to just anyone? Probably not. At this point, though, you’re just telling yourself whatever helps you sleep at night.

“Well, I just figured that you could find someone worse than me. And if you really need this, who am I to make this hard for you? Plus, I don’t need your money. I have a job that I really like and it pays the bills.” You’re surprised that they seem to think so highly of you already. They don’t even know you. It’s nice to have someone think of you as more than an employee to boss around. Although, with this whole thing, you’ll basically be working for Tom. Just with less money and more touching.

“You’re about to have more than enough money. You won’t be needing to pay rent if you’re staying with me. If you want, you can move the stuff that you really need or want with you to my house. And the rest, we can put in storage if you want, it’s up to you.”

“That sounds alright to me. I can start packing tomorrow if you’d like.”

“Yeah, yeah, if you send me your address, I can come help you. Harrison would probably come as well, if he isn’t busy.” Tom says, looking back at Harrison for confirmation.

“I have a meeting in the morning, but I can come after lunch.” The blonde says from the back seat.

“Tom?” You say, getting his attention again.

“Yes, love?” He looks at you instantly, his eyes trace your face over and over, looking for any sign that you changed your mind.

“I don’t have your number. I can’t send you my address without it.” You smile, and place your hand atop of his, which was still on your thigh. 

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Hand me your phone darling.” You do as he says and he enters his number. “Text me the address and then anytime that you need anything.”

“Sure thing, now if you two gentlemen don’t mind, I think I’m going to head home. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“See you then, darling.” Tom says, watching you get out of the car.

“Goodbye, y/n.” you hear Harrison call before you shut the door.

You spend your drive home thinking about what in the world you just got yourself into.

*

Over the next few days, you had gotten closer to Tom. Your entire apartment had been packed up. You sent the things from your bedroom and other things that you wanted to make sure were with you to Tom’s house. The rest of your belongings went into a storage building that he wouldn’t stop pestering you until he got to pay for. That man was the most persistent person that you had ever met. 

You refused to let him pay for anything else, however. You didn’t need his money. And you didn’t want him to think that you only took his offer for the financial aspect. You genuinely just wanted to help him. 

You hadn’t started with your outings yet. You first had to have a meeting with his managers and some lawyers so that you could sign a nondisclosure agreement. Basically you just had to say that you wouldn’t tell anyone about this agreement with anyone. The whole thing would just end up blowing up in both of your faces. 

You could see the headlines now if this were to ever leak.

‘Tom Holland, 23 Year Old Heartthrob has to PAY for his Girlfriends!’

‘Y/N, Just Another Golddigger’

There was no way in the entire world that you would ever tell someone about the fakeness of the whole thing. The consequences would be catastrophic. And you could not be the reason that Tom’s career fell apart.

*

A week later, the NDA had been signed and you were hanging out in Tom’s living room. You were talking about absolutely nothing,but the conversation still flowed as if you were talking about something important. He was giggling at something that was on his phone when you had an idea.

“Let’s go out. To lunch. You know, like a date.” You look down at your hands, embarrassed for some reason. It’s not like you were actually dating him. This shouldn’t be scary. But it is. This is Tom Holland. 

What if you mess up? What if his fans hate the two of you together? What if his management regrets this decision? What if he regrets this decision?

That’s what’s running through your head as you wait for his answer. The silence that is radiating from him seems to be an uncomfortable one. The entire mood has shifted, and you hate the feeling of it.

“You-You’re asking me on a date?” You look up and he’s shocked. He’s looking at you like he can’t believe that you would ask him such a thing.

“Yeah, Tom. The public has to be introduced to me at some point. And it’s probably better to do some outings before the first event that you’re going to drag me to.” You try to explain, hoping that you thought right.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’ll go on a date with you, love. Where do you want to go?” He questions.

“I’m not sure. Where will we get the most exposure?” You’re trying your best to get this out there without having to do something like him posting it on Instagram.

You’re just trying to help him get this moving so that his managers have absolutely no reason to gripe at him. 

“Doesn’t matter. What’s your favorite place to get food?” He brushes the exposure idea aside, making it seem as if he really just wants this date to be just that, a date. 

Now you’re thinking crazy y/n, you think to yourself.

“Well it’s not really a restaurant, but I’m kind of a sucker for the Gains Bowls from the Body Energy Club.” 

“I have to say that I have never been there, or even really heard of it.” 

“You wouldn’t have. It’s over in the states. California.”

“Is that where you’re from?” He seems genuinely interested in the answer, so you answer honestly. 

“Yeah. Born and Raised. I moved out here to London so that I could stay with my best friend. He moved over here to go to college and I thought that was what I wanted too.” 

“What do you mean, you thought?” 

“I really just wanted to be a writer.”

“Do I get to meet this best friend of yours?”

“Oh, no, that won’t happen.” You want to leave it at that, as it is a sore subject for you, but you know that Tom’s going to ask why so you continue with, “We stopped being friends when he decided that my dreams were stupid. Told me that I would never make it as a writer.”

“Well, forget about him. You can be whatever you want to be. Don’t ever let anyone come in the way of what you want the most. I know the perfect place. But first, we need to get you into a dress.” 

“Are we matching?” You ask, wanting to know if you should coordinate with what he was wearing or not.

“No, not on dates, that would seem too staged.”

“Alright.” With that, you leave to go find a dress. 

When you signed the contract, you were also given a new wardrobe. Two, actually. One for dates that required dresses and one for non formal events that a dress should still be worn to.

The major events would have more extravagant dresses, of course.

So, you walk over to the rack in your room that holds all the ‘date dresses’ and you immediately pick the one that had been holding your eye since you got it.

It’s a blue high neck, lace cocktail dress. There’s a bow around the waist. It stops around mid thigh. You hope that Tom will like it. You remember him rambling about absolutely nothing in particular and accidentally telling you that his favorite color was blue.

You walk out of your room after fixing your hair and getting the rest of the things that you need.

Tom is standing in the living room in a white shirt, black blazer, and dress pants. Simple, yet perfect at the same time. How the hell can someone look that good? How the hell did you get so lucky? You know he isn’t really yours, but it’s a privilege just to be around him.

“You look ravishing, darling.” His voice breaks you out of your thoughts.

“You look really, really handsome. Like, wow.” He chuckles at this, and your cheeks immediately heat up.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, love. I’m not the best at taking compliments, that’s all. Now, would you like to get going?” Tom says, trying to calm the nerves he can not only sense, but see due to the tint that has made its way to your burning cheeks.

You walk outside with him and get in the car. The ride to the restaurant is pretty quiet, the nerves having silenced you. 

“Darling, are you all right?” Tom asks, looking over to me when we came to a stop at a red light.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine Tom. Just nervous about it all.” You say, looking down at your hands.

“What are you nervous about, sweetheart?” He looks over at you, concern evident in his voice.

“What if someone sees us and then they take pictures? I mean, I know that’s the point and all,” you swallow the lump in your throat, “but what if your fans hate me? What if they hate us together?” You’re completely out of breath now, the nerves not allowing you to get the proper amount of oxygen into your lungs.

“My fans will be fine with you, love. You’re gorgeous. We look great together. Plus,” he reaches over for your hand and gives it a light squeeze, “we don’t have to look at what they’re saying. They’ll warm up to the idea if they don’t instantly love you.”

His words do little to soothe your insecurities that have made their way to the surface, but you give him a smile anyway. 

He gives your hand another squeeze. He can tell that you’re still on edge.

“We can just go home if you want.” He suggests, just wanting you to be comfortable.

“No, no, it’s fine. I promise.” You assure him.

After that, the car ride goes back to being silent, but it’s no longer tense or awkward. 

It’s comfortable.

*

When you arrive at the little restaurant he brought you to, you look over at him.

“I’m gonna get out and get your door, alright love? Just breathe, you’ve got this.” He says, trying to reassure you.

He does as he said he would. He opens his door and grabs your hand, bringing it to his lips and giving it a warm kiss.

“Such a gentleman.” You coo at him, causing him to give you a sweet smile.

“I try.” He smirks at you, letting you know that he knows exactly what he’s doing, making your heart flutter lie nobody has been able to do in a long time.

You make your way into the restaurant, being seated almost immediately and then having someone bring your drinks of choice. 

“I miss moments like these.” Tom admits, although you don’t know what he means at first.

“Moments like what, Holland?” You question, wanting him to elaborate.

“Moments when I can be myself and not worry about saying the wrong thing because I know that someone is writing everything down.” This makes your heart swell, knowing that he feels this calm and open with you. 

“Well, I’m not writing anything down, darling. You can tell me anything you want and nobody will ever hear a word about it.” This makes him genuinely smile, and you can tell how happy he is to know that.

“Well, what do you wanna know, love?” 

“Hmm, what’s your story?” 

“That is such a cliche question!” He giggles.

“I know, I know, but I’m genuinely curious. The whole world knows Tom Holland: Spider-Man, but I just want to know Tom Holland: the person.” 

“Well, there’s not much to tell darling.” 

“That’s nonsense-” You were in the middle of your thought when the waiter came back up to you to take your food orders.

After he leaves, Tom looks at you and begins, “That’s not nonsense, there’s nothing exciting about me that you probably don’t already know.”

“Hmm, well, because of the media, I know that you have three brothers, all younger. You have a dog named Tessa. Two loving parents. You used to dance and you play golf sometimes.” He gives you a look that radiates surprise that you even know anything about him in the slightest. “However, I do not know your birthday, your favorite color, what made you want to be an actor.

“I don’t know what your favorite pastime is - unless it’s golf of course. I don’t know the little things.” He’s giving you a look of pure adoration, and you let yourself wonder for a second what this would be like if it was real.

“Not a lot of people take the time to get to know me like that anymore.” He says, barely above a whisper. You know instantly that it wasn’t meant to be heard, so you say nothing and let him continue. “If you must know, my birthday is June 1, my favorite color is blue, I was born an actor, darling, there wasn’t a question of whether I wanted to or not.” 

You giggled at that before motioning for him to continue. 

“And, honestly, unless it’s just hanging with Haz, golf probably is my favorite pastime.” 

“See? It wasn’t that hard to tell your story.”

“That’s not a story, y/n. That’s just details.” 

“Details make the story, Holland.” 

*

After you finish eating, he insists on paying, which you end up letting him do. But only because he brought up the fact that you were on a ‘date’ and no man in their right mind was going to make their girl pay, especially on the first date.

You’re on your way back out to his car, both laughing about nothing, when you get the sudden feeling that this may have been the best decision that you ever made.

*

A week later, you’re in a whirlwind of stylists, makeup artists, and managers. All getting you ready for some red carpet event that Tom was invited to. 

They’ve picked out an extravagant dress for you, one to match Tom’s suit. It’s a maroon, flowy dress. Very modest, neckline not showing too much, legs completely covered. But you still look like a princess, at least that’s what you think.

“You look ravishing, darling.” Tom says from behind you, shamelessly looking you up and down. 

You turn to look at him and all of the air is knocked from your lungs. “You look really handsome, Tommy.” 

He smiles at that. The first time you called him by that nickname, he seemed hesitant, thought it was too childish, but the name on your lips made it perfect.

“Thank you, darling. Are you ready to head out?” 

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go show the world how absolutely amazing that Mr. Holland looks tonight.”

“Don’t forget that we have to show them how I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

You cock your head to the side, wondering what he means by that. 

“I get to have someone as stunning as you accompany me, I don’t know how I got so lucky.” You can’t stop the blush that appears on your cheeks.

*

You stand arm in arm with him. There were flashing lights all around you, temporarily blinding you. There was nothing that you could possibly focus on. Nothing at all, except for the way that he held you to keep you steady.

There’s something about the way that he’s holding on to you, his arm slightly tighter around your waist than it needs to be, that makes your heart flutter, even though you know that there’s nothing going on between the two of you.

Right?

You push the thought fro your mind, almost completely. Although you can’t stop yourself from wanting to do something. Something that you’ve been trying your best not to do since the night you met him.

When he puts his arm back around you, you put your hand on his shoulder and lean up, giving him a kiss on the cheek, letting it linger there for a second before pulling away.

He looks shocked, and you begin to wonder if you made a mistake, moved too fast.

“I-I’m sorry. Was that too much?” He’s blushing profusely, and you begin to see that he’s trying to suppress a smile.

He leans down to your ear and whispers, “No, no, not at all darling. Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s alright to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”

And with that, all those little butterflies in your stomach multiply. And there’s no stopping them now.

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Tom Holland Taglist: @cyrusandhiscollaredahirts, @averyfosterthoughts, @thorsangel, 

[hypnoticwinter]

Down the Rabbit Hole part 30

“God damn it,” I grunt, tugging again at the padlock. Although the paint on the door is flaking and the hinges are rusty the padlock is shiny and brand new.

“This was the big plan, huh?” Fumi says, and I cast him a venomous look.

“I don’t see you helping,” I point out. He uncrosses his arms briefly to scratch at his chin and then crosses them again, leaning against the chain-link enclosure around the shed.

“What’s in there, anyway?” he asks. “It’s a breathing hole, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I nod. “Peter told me about it. It’s what he was using to – “ I cut myself off, thinking back to Elena’s reaction when I’d told her Makado and Peter had been smuggling people inside the Pit.

“Using it to what?”

“Nothing,” I tell him. “It doesn’t matter. Goddam it!” I yell, slamming my fist into the door. I can feel a cold touch of panic start to creep up my throat and I swallow hard, trying to will it back down. “It’s okay,” I say, thinking out loud. “There has to be another way in, there just has to. Fumi, do you know any - ?” I stop. He’s grinning at me, like a cat that caught a canary. “What?”

He points. “You notice anything about that door?”

“What - ?” I turn, look it over once more. “What are you talking about?”

Fumi steps past me, shoves the flat of his utility knife into the exposed hinge and levers it upwards with a quick motion, and then hands me the pin. I stare at it and then back at the door. “You have to be kidding,” I say, grabbing my own knife. Fumi is working on the second one down, laughing quietly to himself.

I smack him lightly on the shoulder and then step beneath him, get down on my knees to fiddle with the bottom hinge. “How long ago did you notice the hinges were on the outside?” I ask.

“As soon as you couldn’t get the padlock open.”

“You bitch,” I laugh. “So you were just sitting there watching me tug on it for five minutes?”

“I wanted to see if you’d figure it out,” he grins. “You have that side?”

I nod and then together we slide the metal door off of its hinges and lay it against the fence behind. The shed is little more than a sheet-metal cage surrounding the orifice, obliquely angled and wetly suppurating, about eight feet high and four feet wide. I grimace. “This is going to suck,” I say. Fumi nods.

“That’s an understatement,” he tells me. “Do you have any idea where this lets out?”

I shake my head. “Peter only told me it lead to somewhere in Bronchial. I don’t know much more than that.” I let out a groan. “Just like I don’t have much of an idea where Elena might be.”

Fumi pats my back lightly. It’s supposed to be a reassuring gesture I guess but it doesn’t make me feel much better. “We’ll find her,” he tells me.

The radio at his belt crackles and belches out a string of static. It makes me jump. There’s a great leaden weight in my stomach and again even though I hate how weak it makes me feel, my hands are trembling. From fear, from anticipation, from…from dread. Dread that I might be too late.

Fumi nudges me. “You ready?” he asks. I nod quickly, swallow hard, and then Fumi is pressing aside the musty flesh of the Pit’s breathing-hole and I, choking down the rising bile, follow him inwards into the twisting folds and venous cavities of the Pit’s lungs.

 * * *

 “How’d you get out?” I ask him. Fumi grunts, his helmeted head inclining back towards me briefly. I push another alveolar fold out of the way, ducking my head to get beneath the dripping, swinging flap of flesh. The bronchial tissue crinkles beneath my gloved fingers and, not for the first time, a frown of disgust furrows my brow.

I hear a slow breath in my helmeted ears. Fumi had showed me how to link the radios up so we wouldn’t have to yell at each other to be heard over the Pit’s gusting, noxious breaths, but one of the downsides is that it’s a hot mic – you can’t turn it off or you have to redo it each time. Fumi had already gotten into a habit of chuckling at me whenever I let out an unwilling little grunt of disgust every time I stepped in a particularly gloppy bronchial puddle and it made me want to smack him, but so far I was managing to keep my temper in check.

Part of me wants to rush, wants to blast through the tangled and twisting passages of Bronchial like a heat-seeking missile and rip and tear my way down to wherever the hell Elena is and carry her out of here come hell or high water, but a cooler, more rational part of me also knows that this isn’t something that can be rushed, not without us getting hurt as well. If I was moving any more quickly there’ve been at least a dozen places we’ve passed so far where I know I would have fallen, maybe twisted an ankle or – god – hurt my poor broken leg even further. Whatever magic the autodoc was capable of, I don’t think it figured I would be putting in this much use so quickly, and even though I try to treat it gently there is a dull, foreboding bone-deep ache settled heavily into the middle of the bone that makes me worried, makes me wonder how much time I have before I hurt it really seriously.

“I was hoping you’d forgotten about that,” Fumi tells me, and I blink.

“What –“ I start, but he’s already sighed and moved onwards. I rush up to follow him, find him pondering a narrow y-passage.

“I think it’s this way,” he says, pointing to the leftmost one, and before I can ask him if he’s sure or if we’d better check both just in case, he pushes ahead into it leaving me to follow, shaking my head. “I’m not proud of running,” he says. “Back when those two psychos shot the Sergeant. I was almost hoping you’d forgotten that I had.”

I hadn’t forgotten but I also hadn’t really cared. I was almost glad that Fumi had gotten away when he had. Erica and Marcus – I’m not sure whether or not they had even noticed him. “I don’t want you to feel guilty,” I tell him, “because you shouldn’t. They would have shot you just like they shot the Sergeant or Elena.”

“They shot Elena?” he asks, incredulous, and I nod, briefly recounting what happened. He lets out a muffled curse and shakes his head. “Roan, kid…you know there’s a decent chance she’s already dead, right? Even if the bullet missed anything too vital it’s not a good environment down here to have a hole in you. There are some seriously nasty bacteria and -”

“Yeah,” I snap. “I’m aware of that. And don’t call me kid.”

A frosty silence settles over us

“Sorry,” he says after a moment.

“It’s okay,” I breathe, although I’m saying mostly to try and convince myself. “I just – she can’t be dead, okay? She just can’t be.”

The Pit moans again and as before the flesh around us contracts rhythmically. Fumi and I both stop, forced to wait it out.

“I’m not trying to judge,” Fumi says, “but you’ve only known her for what, a week? Tops? Is the tail really that good?”

“Oh, fuck off,” I tell him, not even bothering to hide the serration in my voice. “You know, I heard what you said on the radio that day. Back before the briefing.”

“Refresh my memory.”

“You called Elena on the radio, asking where the new girl from Admin with the tight little ass was, you couldn’t find her to tell her to get to the briefing. I think you mentioned something about how you wouldn’t mind getting her alone and –“

So I embellished a little. He was squirming and I felt like being vindictive.

“I’m not proud I said that,” Fumi says, cutting me off, and there is a softness to his voice that makes me stop. The moan croaks out to a halt and with a shudder the flesh around us draws back and opens up. He turns and looks at me; the helmet pushes his cheeks together, makes him look like a dwarf, all ruddy cheeks and thick black beard. “If it’s any defense, I didn’t know you were listening. You were with Elena?”

“Yeah.”

“Even back then?”

“She was showing me the little graveyard,” I tell him. Unwillingly my lips quirk up into a smile. “I think I would have kissed her then if you hadn’t interrupted.”

Fumi laughs. “That’s rich,” he says. “You kiss people in a graveyard?”

I roll my eyes at him, push him forward. “Well, because of you I had to wait until the party. I don’t think either of us worked our nerve up again until then.”

“I knew she was into you,” Fumi mentions, starting off again. “That’s the reason I said that in the first place, cause I was trying to tease her. I just didn’t know you’d, you know, literally be right there.”

“You knew? What, did she tell you?”

“You couldn’t tell she was into you until the party?” he asks, equally quizzical, and I feel myself blush, let that one go unanswered.

We walk onwards in silence. Well, relative silence; Bronchial is a rhythmic forest of noise, a low dull rush of wind grinding at the back of my ears even through the helmet. I’d noticed back in the shed that they roof was made of something like chicken wire but even so it was bowed inward severely. I’d initially figured it to just be the weight of the wire itself pulling downwards but now I think it was the suction of the Pit breathing in.

Ten more steps. Fumi and I start to talk at the same time, and then I laugh and tell him to go while he tries to be gallant and tells me to go. I hope he doesn’t think I hate him.

“How did you get out?” I ask him, and he waves his hand.

“Right. The Cord isn’t the only way up, just the fastest. I circled back around, took a couple of elevators, and then high-tailed it all the way up. You can make it in about a day, if you hustle. I grabbed Makado as soon as I got up and told her what had happened and she locked everything down, sent me to the barracks for ‘rest.’ I think she was just worried I’d tell everybody what I’d seen. Then…I don’t know. I guess she went down herself, hot-rodded an IAV all the way down to the place you were. The fungal zone? We’re not supposed to go down there normally, it’s…ecologically unstable.”

“It was horrible,” I murmur, thinking of Peter. Thinking, unwillingly, of Klaus.

It was a familiar feeling, that rush of panic and then of calm, of everything clicking together and smoothing out, once I’d shot him. I had stood over him, the gun clutched loosely in my hand, still trained on him even though it was empty and the slide had locked back once I’d shot that last magic bullet, one in the chamber, Marcus’s parting gift to me from beyond the grave. I had stared at Klaus until he had lain still for quite a while and then I had knelt down next to him and grabbed the magazine from the floor, slotted it back into the pistol and released the slide, and then I went outside and had a good cry.

Fumi nudges me and I realize I’ve zoned out while he was asking me something. “Why do you like Elena? Really,” he repeats. “I’m curious.”

I give him a little grunt to indicate that I’m thinking about it. “She’s kind to me,” I say finally. “She knew I wouldn’t be able to cut it down there from the very start. She tried so hard to keep me out of the Pit and then once I was in she took care of me the whole way. She has a…a very strong sense of right and wrong. She doesn’t compromise for anything.”

I glance over at Fumi. The passage has widened enough at this point that we can walk side by side. He stays silent. He wants me to keep going, of course, but I don’t see any harm in it so I oblige him. “She was the first girl I had sex with,” I tell him, studying his reaction closely. He looks over at me, holds my gaze for a moment, and then looks away.

“Really?” he asks.

“Yeah. The night of the party.”

“First love,” he says. I laugh.

“A new experience, maybe,” I concede.

“Is it much different?”

“Hmm?”

“From being with a man. Is it different?”

I think about it. “Very,” I tell him. He nods.

“I mean,” he grins, “you’d think it would be, but I would never know…”

I elbow him lightly and then dodge the one he throws back at me. We walk on for a while further.

“You know,” Fumi starts, and then stops.

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Oh, shut up,” I growl at him. “What is it?”

“No,” he says, pushing a fold of flesh out of the way. “It really is nothing, I was going to say something but I thought better of it.”

“Just tell me.”

He looks back at me for a moment, then shrugs. “I was going to say,” he says slowly, “that in all honesty Elena and I are not on the best of terms.”

“Oh?”

“A little while before you showed up, I had to turn her down. She didn’t take it very well. Made some…colorful comments about my heritage. Which are completely untrue, I might add.”

“Turn her do – oh,” I finish. I can feel my cheeks color beneath my helmet.

“You can see why I might have thought better of telling you something like that.”

“Well, it doesn’t bother me,” I say firmly. “That’s the past and whatever decisions she made were ones she made then, not now.”

“Do you really believe that?” he asks. “I mean, really – I’m just curious. I’m not trying to make you doubt yourself if that really is true.”

“Aren’t you angry at her?” I say, sidestepping the question. “I mean, if she came on to you and then acted like a bitch about it afterwards…”

“What I’m trying to say is, that was a particularly Elena thing to do.”

I think about that for a moment and then I find myself smiling. “Fumi…are you trying to tell me Elena is a slut?”

“That’s such a harsh word,” he says. “But…yes.”

“Are you afraid I’m going to get hurt? How big brother of you.”

“Please. I just think it’s something you ought to know about. Besides, if you’re as involved as you say you are with her, I’m sure she told you herself.”

That does make me stop. “She didn’t actually,” I say. Fumi raises an eyebrow. I can just barely see it beneath the glass pane of the helmet. “She told me that there was sex, occasionally. You know, between team members, but never any sort of emotional attachment. It would, I don’t know, disrupt the group dynamic or whatever.”

“Mm,” he grunts. “That’s maybe the idealized version of it, I guess. All I can tell you is that her and Slate were pretty hot and heavy for a while but they broke it off, I don’t know, maybe a month or two ago.”

I think about that, roll it around in my mouth. I don’t much like the taste. Slate had grown on me over the short time I’d known him but not that much. I think about him and Elena, about her flashing that dazzling smile at him, about him grinning that sly, knowing, fox’s grin at her, about his hands encircling her waist, cupping her lithe, muscular ass, and I feel a little spark of jealousy flare up in my stomach. Then I take a breath, deliberately, and let it out.

The night that Slate died Elena and I had held each other tightly in our tent and she had come close to crying but hadn’t. I’d told her it was okay and that if she needed to talk about it she could, but she had just shaken her head. There was grief in her eyes but it was low and cool and detached. We had held each other and I had traced my fingers up and down her naked body but we hadn’t made love. It had been too serious for that. I wanted her to know that I cared about her, that she had more meaning to me to me than just as a series of orifices. In the morning she had kissed me awake and had smiled so brightly that for a moment I’d thought the sun was rising, right there in the belly of the Pit, and it had all been okay.

“What are you smiling about?” Fumi asks, and I laugh. I almost trip on a tumorous, fleshy nodule growing out of the floor and he catches me, puts me back upright again.

“I was thinking about Elena,” I tell him, and he shakes his head, grin sprouting amid his forest of a beard.

“I could have told you literally anything about her and you’d still be head over heels for her, huh?”

“Yeah,” I admit. “The last relationship I was in wasn’t the best.” I shrug. “I only stayed in it for as long as I did because I – because I made some bad decisions and I figured that everything I touched turned to shit. Thor – my ex-boyfriend – he didn’t. So I clung to it way, way longer than I should have.”

“His name was Thor?”

“It was a nickname. His real name was Richard.”

Fumi nods. A little more silence passes, and then he nudges me.

“At least you have some self-awareness about it,” he says.

“Oh, I didn’t for a long time. But I’ve had a lot of time to do some soul-searching recently,” I say, formalizing masses of incoherent thoughts that have been bunching behind my eyes for at least the past two days, if not longer. “And I decided I wasn’t going to fuck this one up, if I could help it. I don’t care if she’s been wild, I don’t care if she’s a slut, she’s been kind to me. That’s what matters.”

Do I mean that? Is that what my soul thinks? Am I just trying to make myself feel better after discovering the Elena isn’t a saint? I think back to that first night that I kissed her, drunk and urgent on the steps of the barracks, the crickets playing symphony and the fireflies fluttering in a spangled backdrop. I think back to the way the hair on the back of my neck had stood up, to the tingling feeling in my stomach when her hand had knitted into my hair and held me closer to her.

The Pit’s lungs are interminable. Way after winding way, passage after passage. It’s only been about a half hour or so but it feels like ages. Fumi is of the opinion that we ought to head down to the Control Center and raid their armory, get some real firepower. Between the two of us we have two little .45-caliber pistols, that’s all, and even then we wouldn’t have them if Fumi hadn’t known where Crookshank had kept them stashed.

I’d accepted mine with hesitation but I knew it would have been the height of stupidity to go down here without being armed. My skin had crawled and I had felt a little like throwing up as I’d taken it from him, as the reliable weight of the pistol settled into my palm, and then I had slipped it into my holster and after a while I was able to forget that I was wearing it, that it was hanging off of my side ready to use.

But a .45 won’t do a lot to some of the things down here. That’s his argument, that he keeps repeating, while I, with mounting frustration, point out to him that the longer we wait, the more danger Elena almost certainly is in. I want to head straight down to the terminus of the Cord and look around for her. We bicker about it for a while until I, with some surprise, take a step around another alveolar fold and find my cleated boots clanking on metal grating. I let out a whoop and charge forward, pushing through another tight sphincter-like gap, and then I burst out into a long hallway, the same one Peter described to me – Jesus, just a few days ago. Or has it been a week already? I’m not sure. I don’t know what day it is, how long this misadventure has been perpetuated for. I turn back around and grin at Fumi, open my mouth to say something stupid, and then something bowls into me, sends me pitching forward. I catch myself but only just, and then something chitinous and hissing and many-legged is crawling over me and wave of white-hot revulsion floods into my stomach.

I reach back and batter at it but just from the angle I can’t do anything to it. It fixes its jaws to my shoulder, cutting through the suit like paper and I cry out in pain. I scrabble for my holster but succeed only in knocking the gun from it, sending it clattering across the metal floor. Fumi rushes forward, crying out my name, but the thing on top of me tugs hard at my shoulder and starts to drag me off. I manage to roll over onto my back and see something like an enormous louse, just inches away from my face, faceted eyes staring into mine. Its enormous mouthparts are coated in blood and my stomach flips as I realize it’s mine, leaking from my shoulder.

“Roan!” Fumi cries. He has his pistol out but he can’t get a bead on it, it’s too close to me.

“Help me!” I call out as the insect pulls me backwards another few feet. I’m too heavy for it to really manage, it’s not quite as much of a monster as an abyssal copepod is, but it feels as though it’s going to bite my arm off at the shoulder, and although I flail at it it just won’t let go –

I draw back and with all of my strength smash it in the face with one gloved fist, and to my shock it hisses and drops me. Immediately I roll out of the way, letting out a screech of pain when my shoulder makes contact with the ground and the jarring of it sends white-hot knives scurrying up my nerves, and then there is a thunderclap nearby and something thumps into the insect. The thunder roars two, three, four more times, and then Fumi is rushing to me and helping me up while my ears ring and the insect shudders quietly to itself as it dies, its head blown apart like a rotten pumpkin.

I sit there in silence as the ringing fades and Fumi washes the cut out with disinfectant, bandages my shoulder, applies an analgesic spray to it, patches me up. The cut apparently is deep but clean and didn’t, as far as he can tell from my range of motion, cause me any permanent damage. I sit there and shudder as the adrenaline gradually leaves my system, and then when he’s done he sighs heavily and sits down next to me.

“You doing okay?” he asks, me, and I nod slowly.

“What was that thing?”

“Just a lesser copepod.”

“Just?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs. “Not an especially big one. Like the abyssal’s smaller, dumber, higher-depth counterpart. Minus the hands.”

I bury my head in my hands. There is a thick knot of worry in my stomach and I don’t know if I can untangle it alone. Fumi clearly doesn’t know what to do about me. “Roan, are you okay?” he keeps asking. He rests his hand gently on my shoulderblade and it makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time.

“How could she still be alive?” I say. It comes out almost like a sob. “If there’s shit like this up here where everything’s – where everything’s mostly harmless, how could she be alive? Something will have gotten her by now, something will have –“

“Roan.”

“Oh god,” I say. “She’s dead because of me, because I was stupid enough to think that she wouldn’t try and attack Erica, she’s dead because –“

“Snap out of it!” Fumi barks at me.

I give him a bleak look. “We should just go back.”

“Roan,” he says, “would Elena give up on you?”

I open my mouth, and then I shut it. Fumi raises his eyebrows at me.

And so with nothing left to say I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak, and then we get up and head off down the hallway, following the signs marked Control Center.

 * * *

 I check my pilfered wristwatch again and shift anxiously from foot to foot. Fumi’s been inside the control room for five minutes already. I can’t hear anything over all of the claxons blaring, here outside in the fat little corridor leading up to it, up two flights of stairs and behind another one of those horrible submarine doors. Worry’s gnawing at me, somewhere deep down in the pit of my stomach; what if they know Fumi and I are in cahoots? What if something’s wrong in there, what if he ran into Makado, or the FBI, or…

I bite my lip hard. Around me the Pit quakes again and rattles the little metal pod of the Control Center like someone shaking a tin of mints. I feel like an Altoid. It’s incredible how much less safe I feel inside here, with the high-tech stabilizing arms straining hard against the Pit’s gullet. I’d rather ride this out in Bronchial any day; Bronchial was comforting, even, because whenever the Pit moaned and grunted and flexed, all of the little flaps and craggy little polyps and bulbs and what the hell ever else all flopped over and covered us like a fullbody hug and just held us there, gently, almost, like the Pit was telling us that it would be okay.

I shake my head. “I have got to get out of here,” I mutter, and then I reach over and open the door and stride in and immediately find myself in the middle of a sea of chaos.

There are a couple more nerds here than before and they’re all up to their eyeballs in flashing lights and alarms, each of them on the phone or muttering into a headset or clustered around a fancy-looking holographic unit that displays a three-dimensional image of something that looks like a fat, squat beetroot that I assume is a model of the Pit. Fumi is talking to one of the nerds, rather urgently, his helmet unclasped and hanging at his side, his fingers hooked under the rear lip of it. He glances over when the door opens and sees me and his expression darkens. He’d told me to stay outside; I had given him a rundown of what Makado had done on the way up, through Bronchial and then into the main gullet of the Pit, and he’d said it would be safer if he went in alone and did the talking, after all, at least four of the nerds had seen me with Makado, they surely would have known what I was supposed to be going down for, but I had gotten so worried –

Nobody’s paying any attention to me. Scarcely anybody even bothered to look up when the door opened, and of those that did they met my tight, anxious face with blank stares and unfamiliar visages. I slip inside, duck behind a nerd rushing past with a stack of papers under his arm and slip over to Fumi. The man he was talking to has given him a shake of the head, with finality, and moved away into a back room that I know is a briefing or conference room. The last time I saw it it had takeout containers all over the place; I wonder if they’ve done any cleaning up since.

“Why’d you come in?” he hisses, leaning close to me so we can confer. I shrug.

“Got worried. Did you get the guns?”

“That fuck,” he says, jerking his head back at the conference room, “is in charge and he won’t unlock the armory for me. Wants Makado’s permission, which I’m obviously not liable to get, even if we could reach her.”

“Goddam it,” I mutter. “Look, why don’t we bust in there and just, I don’t know, take the keys?”

There’s another lurch from the Pit and I reach out, grab Fumi’s shoulder to steady myself. “What, you want to just mug the guy?” he asks.

“We are not coming all this way and not getting any of the hardware out of it,” I hiss. “Elena is dying –“

“Yes,” he barks, and then quiets himself. “Yes,” he says, “I’m aware of our time crunch. But if we do something like that, we’re going to get someone on our ass, and I’d rather worry about the wildlife instead of people. You’re already risking everything by coming in here –“

“Fuck this,” I mutter, and then I cast a wary glance around and slip into the conference room, dodging Fumi as I do.

Inside the conference room I find, amid a nest of takeout boxes, the tall, gaunt man Fumi was talking to, speaking in a hushed tone down the throat of a bright red telephone. He glances up as I shut the door behind myself and does a double-take. “Get out,” he tells me, pointing at the door. “You aren’t allowed in there, I already told your friend that I’d need – wait a minute,” he says. There’s a flutter of butterflies in my stomach while I wait for him to recognize me, and when I does I am momentarily shocked that he pales. He slams the phone down into its cradle and points a finger at me. “You had better stay right there,” he warns me. “I know exactly who you are. I’m going to call the surface right now and get them to send a team right down to get you back into custody. You’ve got some nerve –“

“Look,” I tell him. “Just give us the keys to the armory and we’ll be out of your hair. That’s all we want. We’re trying to help,” I say, and as if to punctuate my argument, the Pit groans again.

“Stay right there,” he repeats, and picks up the phone again. I whip the pistol out of my holster and train it on him.

There’s a sensation in my stomach like I’m falling, like I’ve just taken a leap off a cliff, the same lurch you get when you miss a step in the middle of the night and your brain didn’t think it was there, that same sensation of gutless horror like you’ll fall forever and stop suddenly. The man is staring at me; his eyes are very wide.

“Give me the keys,” I tell him. “I’m not going to ask again,” I say, thinking maybe it’ll sound threatening if by some chance my voice happens not to shake while I’m spitting my one-liners.

A part of my brain is screaming at me that I haven’t thought this through, what am I going to do with this guy once I’ve gotten the keys from him, what am I going to do if he calls my bluff, what am I going to do if –

The keys plonk down on the table and slide over to me. Before I can think I reach out and take them, ball them tightly in my fist. I give the man a look and open my mouth to say something but before I can there is another roar from outside and the ground pitches to the left and knocks us both off our feet. There are yells of surprise and horror from outside in the main room and a new alarm is blaring now, one with a much more urgent tone than any of the others. The gun’s clattered to the floor as well and both I and the gaunt man know it. It’s landed just between us, sprawled in a stack of upended file cabinets, just there on the floor. The red emergency lights gleam off its sleek metal lines and make it look like it’s been drenched in blood.

We dive for it at the same time, and he puts his hand in my face and shoves me away, but not before I can fit a hand around the barrel of the gun. I can’t think, my brain has been replaced with something animal, something screaming in terror, but I can feel my lips draw back in a snarl, and even as he arches his fingers inwards to claw at my eyes, the fist I made earlier snaps outwards like it has a mind of its own and slams with all of the might I can muster square into his face and I feel his nose give beneath my balled fingers, and he shrieks and claps his hands to his face. I grab the gun and train it on him again, a little unnecessarily, getting unsteadily to my feet as the control center, clearly at a very cockeyed angle, slips a few feet further down and nearly knocks me over again.

Fumi bursts in but because of the angle the door slams on his face right after he’s pushed it open. “Roan!” he cries. Through the open door I can hear complete pandemonium outside, but through the alarms and cries and panic I hear something that punches my heart straight up into my mouth, makes time slow down to a trickle, running through my agonized brain to give me more perceived seconds to dwell on the horror: I hear the sound of buckling, groaning metal, and then a loud snapping screech as it finally starts to give.

Continue with Part 31

Back to Table of Contents

[higherfurther-romanova]

I’ll Always Come Running Home To You

Warnings: Angsty fluff? So much angst though… Language, injury, soft Nat, soft Carol… soft Wanda, everyone is soft.

Word Count: 1,489

A/N: I’ve been dying to write this LOL it’s so angsty but so fluffy. There are a few references in here that I hope at least one of you get, whoever does, I love you. (I love you all but literally no one understands my references from the movie.) Also, I’m sure this is horrible but I don’t give a shit because I’m a bit drunk and it’s late. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

As a kid, you were experimented on by HYDRA and then transferred to the Red Room. All of your senses were enhanced along with your speed. You made frequent transitions between the two places to get your skills perfected until HYDRA decided you were a waste of their time and sold you to the Red Room. You escaped about three years after Natasha did; your super speed and strength both making it easier than you thought it would be. Carol Danvers was on the lookout for you, she was sent to kill you but didn’t. There was just something about you that struck her. She couldn’t bring herself to kill you. 

“Wheels up in ten minutes, love birds,” Carol informs you and Natasha. 

“Aye aye, Captain.” You give a mock salute. 

She chuckles and walks off. You put your hand on Nat’s knee. “I need to go check on Wanda.” 

She nods, understanding that today is the anniversary of Pietro’s death. She’s always been like a little sister to you, you’ve always been protective over her. 

You smile at her and walk towards Wanda’s room. 

“We leave in ten minutes, may I come in?” You say as you knock on the door. 

“Yes…” She answers softly. 

You open the door and kneel down in front of her. “Are you okay?” 

“Of course.” She smiles. 

You don’t even have to have the power to read minds to know she’s not. 

“If at any point during this mission you feel unsteady, you call for me, I will be there in a heartbeat. Literally.” You pinky promise her. 

She nods and stands up. You smile softly at her and lead her to the hanger where Carol, Nat, and Fury were waiting. 

“Director.” You greet him. “Agent.” He nods his head at you. 

“Okay, are you guys ready?” Carol asks the three of you. 

You all nod. “You guys know what to do. Get in, get the intel, get out. Don’t screw this up, mother fuckers.” Fury says as he takes his leave. 

It’s not like he really thinks you would, you four are the ones he trusts the most and that’s a lot coming from that man. 

You all load into the Quinjet and take off. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

You put your hand on Wanda’s shoulder gently. “We’re going to be okay.” 

“I know.” She smiles sadly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if we aren’t.” 

“Strap- ...Buckle in, we’re about five minutes away.” Carol calls back to you. 

“Smooth, Danvers.” Nat chuckles as she makes her way back to sit next to you. 

You lean your head on her shoulder and she kisses the top of your head. 

“Be careful.” She whispers. 

“Always.” You nod. 

“Promise?” She lifts your head up to stare you in the eyes. 

“I’ll always come running home to you. I promise.” You assure her. 

The jet lands and you all exit. Your objective is to cover Nat while she gathers data. Wanda and Carol are supposed to find anything they can on their newest experiments. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

You speed into a few agents, knocking them unconscious. You’re only met with a group of five. You sprint over to them, time seemingly coming to a halt as you aim their guns at one another and run. You hear several gunshots fire and know your plan worked, they all shot each other. You chuckle and make your way up the stairs. 

“Status, (y/n)?” Carol asks. 

“All clear, captain.” You reply. 

“Romanoff, status?” 

“10% loaded.” She sighs. 

“Thank you.” She grunts, blasting an agent. 

You get to the top of the stairs and you’re greeted with four soldiers. You pull out your daggers and throw them rapidly at them. You spot one heading to the building your girlfriend is in. You’re about to run at him, but one of the agents you stabbed starts getting up. You quickly pull your gun out and shoot her. You speed after the agent targeting the redhead. You realize you’re short on time as he has the gun pointed at her. You take a deep breath and lunge in front of the guy, knocking him down, but two bullets pierce through your skin, one at your shoulder and one in your lower left side. Natasha turns and shoots the guy before he can get up. Your vision gets blurry as you fall. Natasha quickly pulls the hard drive out of the computer and runs over to you, flipping you onto your back. 

“Shit, (y/n), stay awake.” She frantically looks around for something to put pressure on your wounds. She crawls over to the dead HYDRA agent and rips his shirt into two pieces. 

“Danvers, Agent (y/l/n) is down, I need back up.” She says with her teeth around the cloth while she wraps one of your wounds. 

“Maximoff is on her way.” Carol answers. 

Natasha wraps the wound on your side and shakes you slightly. “(Y/n), can you stand?” 

You cough up some blood, it dribbles down the side of your face… Your eyes start fluttering shut until Natasha shakes you again. 

“You need to stay awake. Do it for me. I’m going to get you out of here.” 

Her voice is shaky and distant but she’s so close. Everything is echoing, gunshots, loud crashes. She picks you up gently and kicks the door open, shooting a few agents in the process. Wanda is there just in time and takes care of the rest of the agents and Nat carries you back to the Quinjet and lays you down on the table. 

“Baby, please…” She whispers. 

“Nat..” You croak. 

“Yes, baby… I’m here.” She sobs. 

Your eyes flutter shut, but you’re stopped by the sounds of her sobs. “Don’t leave me, (y/n)... I know you’re stronger than this.” 

Your feel the Quinjet’s doors close as Carol and Wanda come back. 

“Shit… What happened?” Carol mumbles as she sees your state. 

“She took a bullet for me…” Nat sniffed. 

“(Y/N).. please.” Wanda sobs. 

“Wanda…” You cough up more blood and your eyes roll back for a second. 

Carol looks at you, a tear slipping out of her eye. She walks to the front of the jet and takes off. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

Carol puts the jet on autopilot and makes her way over to you. 

“(Y/N). I know you’re tired, I need you to fight it, okay? Stay awake for me.” Her voice softens. 

“Danvers…?” You whisper. 

She nods, tears streaming down her face. “I need you to keep fighting, (y/n/n)... Talk to me, Goose.” She lets out a wet chuckle. 

“Roger I got him…” You cough. 

“Ms. Danvers, we’re five minutes away.” 

“Thank you, FRIDAY.” She says as she walks to the front to take control again. 

You’re starting to feel a chill running down your spine and you can’t really make sense of what anyone is saying. Carol lands the Quinjet and you’re rushed out into the infirmary. Everything is a blur. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

“She reminded me of my brother…” Wanda says, not taking her eyes off of you through the glass. 

“I can see why.” Natasha smiled softly. 

“Fury sent me to kill her years ago… But there was something about her, I just knew it.” Carol sniffed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

You jolt awake, immediately feeling a sharp pain in your side and shoulder. 

“Hey, hey, take it easy, Agent.” Maria put her hand on you lightly guiding you back. 

“Son of a bitch…” You groan. 

“Where are they…” You mumble. 

“Mission debrief. They should be done any time now.”

You nod. Right as your eyes close, you hear the door open. 

“Roger, I got him, contact 20 left, 30 miles...” You mutter, letting them know you’re awake. 

“God, you fucking scared the shit out of me, (y/n)...” Carol walks in. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” You smirk. 

You look over at Wanda who seems to be exhausted. “Wanda, come here.” 

She walks over and you wrap your arms around her despite your excruciating pain. “I’m okay.” 

She lets out a breath and sobs into your shoulder. “Shh… it’s okay, sestra. It’s okay.” You soothe. 

“Don’t do that to me again… ever.” She pulls away. 

“Like I planned on getting shot.” You roll your eyes. 

“We should let you get some rest,” Carol suggests. 

They all nod and start walking away, but you grab Natasha’s hand, stopping her. She turns to you with a worried look on her face. “I told you…” You husk. “I know…” Natasha sits down next to you, squeezing your hand. 

“A promise is a promise.” You squeeze her hand. 

She walks closer to you and gently kisses you. “Get some rest, baby.” 

“Stay with me…?” You whisper. na“Of course.” 

She climbed into the bed next to you and you rested your head on her shoulder, drifting off into a heavy sleep. 

“I love you.” She whispers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

[king-finnigan]

Prompts! Situation 30, sentence 24 OR a combination that you've really wanted to do but haven't been asked to do yet!

I’m so sorry, but I tried to do the 30+24 and I was so uninspired, I really couldn’t do it. So I decided to just take a billion situations and sentences and mash ‘em all together. I’m not gonna list them all, cause that’d be half the post but on this post you can see the full list and for the situations, I picked 16, 23, 24, 32. For the sentences, I picked 8, 13, 19, 20, 21, 29, 35. Fuckin enjoy, I guess.

(Also thank you for giving me the choice to do whatever the hell I want.)

***

Honestly, when his best friend, Yen, had arranged a date for him with her ex, Geralt, Jaskier hadn’t been too thrilled. Well, that was, until he actually saw a picture of Geralt, and suddenly everything was forgiven. Really, he’d often doubted Yen’s taste in men, but how could he say no to a date with a hot, mysterious, silver-haired, muscular guy? And the guy did date Yennefer, so there’s no way he’s totally insufferable. Surely, even if the date doesn’t go well, it won’t be an absolute nightmare, right?

Boy, how he’d been wrong.

He hugs himself more tightly, trying to ward off the cold in just his frilly shirt, jealously eyeing up Geralt’s comfortable and warm-looking leather jacket. Surely Geralt must notice how Jaskier’s shivering, right? Surely any gentleman would offer their jacket? Apparently not Geralt - so he’s either really dense or a real arsehole, and honestly, Jaskier isn’t sure which of the two is more likely.

Geralt has barely said a word all evening, and every word he did say sounded kinda rude, really, his voice deep and strained and clipped, so much so that Jaskier had felt utterly unwanted at the table. And then, when Jaskier had offered to pay the bill, Geralt had actually let him. Who the fuck does that? Everyone knows that if one person offers to pay, the other at least tries to pretend they actually wanna pay. But no, apparently not Geralt.

Rude.

And sure, the dude walks him home, but he seems a bit impatient, shuffling his feet from time to time, and he still doesn’t fucking talk.

Except now, apparently. The exact second Jaskier feels anger flare up in him, Geralt decides to break his vow of fucking silence. Typical. “Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”

Not even a question. A command. Jaskier resists to roll his eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute, because your taste in music is awful.” It just flaps right out of his treacherous mouth, but it’s the truth. The second Geralt had told him he likes country music, Jaskier had felt the near-irresistible urge to run out of the restaurant screaming. The only reason he hadn’t, was because Geralt is so damn hot, and God, Jaskier’s really fucked, isn’t he? Because even if Geralt is rude and a bit annoying, Jaskier’s still really into him. Great.

Geralt frowns, glances at him for a second, before looking ahead again. “Hmm. They’re wrong about you, apparently.”

“Why? What are they saying?”

“Well, Yen and Triss told me you were a very nice, funny guy, but you’re really rude. And apparently also someone who wouldn’t be with someone else because of the music they like.”

Jaskier feels his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and stops walking, a finger unconsciously coming up to point at Geralt. “Okay, first of all, very rich coming from you, mister ‘I don’t fucking talk all evening and only give one-word answers’. Secondly- just... What? No, I never said that.” He thinks to what he had said, just a few seconds ago. “Okay, maybe I did actually say that, but still.”

Geralt rolls his eyes but continues walking. Jaskier frowns, lunges forward, and grabs the guy by the sleeve of his stupidly warm-looking leather jacket, forcing him back to a halt. “Nonono, don’t you dare just walk away. You’re gonna face me like a fucking man and tell me exactly what you think of me.”

Geralt narrows his eyes at him. “Fine,” he spits. “Your sense of fashion is abhorrent. You’re loud and annoying. You never shut up for five seconds to let anyone else speak. And you’re not nearly as smart as you think you are.”

Jaskier gapes at him for a hot second. “I- you... My fashion sense is fucking perfect, thank you very much, mister Sweet Home Alabama.” He gestures at the lumberjack shirt Geralt is wearing, along with his leather jacket and boots. Fucking boots? 

“Well at least I’m not dressed like it’s summer in the middle of the fucking winter. You need to get a jacket.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

“I wouldn’t dare, because I know for certain that you’ve never followed any order in your entire life. It’d be useless to tell you what to do.”

“I could follow literally any order right fucking now! Try me, asshole!”

“Alright, you wanna bet? Wanna bet that you won’t do anything I fucking say? Fifty bucks.”

“Make that a hundred bucks.”

“Deal.”

“Deal.”

Geralt stays silent for a second, narrowing his eyes at Jaskier. “Kiss me,” he says.

Okay, what the fuck? Although, he really does want that money, and he does have to admit, he’s still very attracted to the guy. Hell, Geralt looks even hotter all riled up, to be quite honest. He sighs, before stalking forward, grabbing the guy’s face in his hands, pulling him in for a bruising kiss that’s more teeth than tongue, but steals his lungs from his chest all the same.

He pulls back. “I want that money, Geralt.”

“Fuck you,” Geralt mutters, before Jaskier pulls him in for another kiss. And sure, the guy might be a grade A arsehole, and Jaskier might be a bit of a prick himself, but he’s sure they can work out their differences. At least long enough to make it to Jaskier’s bedroom.

[ofwolvesandbutterflies]

all in

Pairing: Jung Jaehyun x Reader

Genre: angst, tsp of fluff

Tags: mafiaboss!jaehyun, businesspartners!au

Warnings: language, mentions of violence and blood, t e n s i o n

day 22 of 30 days with NCT

Synopsis: in which jaehyun is paid to protect you, your business, your body... everything about you but your heart. 

// could you be the one who gets to save me // (x)

--

[11:34]

“Heads up, Jae!” you ducked, throwing a glance over your shoulder to make sure your ‘business partner’ had dodged the knife as well. Said man swerved to the side in accordance with your warning and shot a mischievous grin at you as he kicked another masked man. A couple golden brown strands of sweaty hair fell into his eyes, making him that much more attractive. “Thanks, Princess.” He grunted as his fist made contact with another unfortunate jaw, tossing a quick uppercut at someone else. “Hey, watch your left-” 

Nodding, you turned back around, flicking the sturdy switchblade open to slash at the figure in all back running towards you. A quick flash of metal, a strangled scream, and the crunch of bone against pavement beneath you as the body made contact with black top… it should have been sickening to you. But after all these years of fighting for survival in an illegal life like yours, a grim smirk made its way across your lips. You took a breath, scanning the chaos in your surroundings as you leaned back against Jaehyun, the man your father had originally said was your ‘paid protection’. The muscles in his back contracted as he kicked someone else across the yard and a quiet sigh left your lips. But, at this point, Jaehyun was more to you than just paid protection. 

“You good, Princess?” His breath came out in harsh pants as he turned slightly to glance at you out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t usually lean against me in a fight unless you’re really tired.”

“I’m good-” you mumbled just as something whizzed a mere centimeter from your face. The curse left your mouth in seconds and you tugged the .44 mag revolver from its holster around your waist. “Shit, Jaehyun, watch the second wave.” He nodded, jaw clenched as he barked orders to his men. Pointing the gun towards the approaching enemies, you shot back. Hair in your face, back against a man you trusted with your life, and a solid three pounds of steel and polymer in your hands, you let the crazed smile take over your lips. There was something so exhilarating about fighting with someone rather than against someone.

The sounds of gunshots, breaking bones, and pure violence rang out in the warehouse yard for longer than it should have, but within minutes, the last body fell and it was over. Tucking your weapons back into their respective hiding places, you let your head fall against Jaehyun’s back.

“You doing okay, Jae?” You murmured, watching as a couple of his men walked off towards their vehicles, cleaning cloth and weapons draped over their shoulders. 

He chuckled and stood there for a second, letting you rest against him. “Have I ever told you how much I hate starting my days out with my life on the line?” 

“Shut up, dumbass….” You rolled your eyes, jabbing your elbow into his back, giggling when he yelped in surprise. “Don’t even lie, though. You wouldn’t be one of the most successful mafia heads in Korea if you didn’t have an unhealthy, animalistic thirst for steel and blood in the mornings.” 

“I wouldn’t call it an ‘animalistic thirst’…” Jaehyun laughed again, a deep, baritone sound that reverberated through his body and sent a light flush to your cheeks. Lifting his head from yours, he pushed off your back to turn towards you. “More like an… acquired taste. Your dad said he’d cover clean up, right?” You nodded, kicking a few fallen limbs out of your path as you followed your ‘bodyguard’ towards his SUV. 

“Yeah,” you murmured, admiring the muscles lining his back, pressed up against the skin-tight long sleeve hugging his body. “He said he’d send over Lucas and Ten whenever we were done.”  

“Sweet.” Unlocking the car, he opened the door to the driver’s seat, shamelessly lifting the shirt over his head to change. Your eyes drank in the sight of his scarred, tattooed, well cut figure, not bothering to hide the fact you were staring. He pulled the bloodied shirt off, smirking when he caught your gaze. You whistled your approval and he tossed the shirt at you playfully. “Get changed, Princess. I don’t think your econ professor will appreciate the way those bloodied jeans hug your ass as much as I do. That, and you are not getting blood on my leather seats. I will literally make you sit in the trunk if you don’t change.” 

Jaehyun tossed you a change of clothes, a simple t-shirt and jeans. “Fine, Mr. Jung.” An overexaggerated groan left your lips as he turned around to give you some privacy. Jung Jaehyun had been your first choice in ‘hired muscle’ for a couple years now, ever since the night of your first assassination attempt. Needless to say, had he not been doing business with your father that evening at the gala, you would have most definitely been shot dead. 

Fingering the scar right below your rib cage, a shudder ran through your body as your eyes caressed the matching scar on your partner’s body. The way he had grabbed you that evening, turning so that his body shielded yours, the only response of pain from him being the way his teeth clenched as he bit back a grunt. But even now, as you tore your eyes away from him to pull the fresh pair of jeans up your legs, you knew you still would have fallen for him, regardless of if he saved your life or not. 

You stripped your bloodied shirt from your body, wincing when the movement shot a stab of pain through your body. You must have reopened that laceration on your shoulder from the night before. A sudden presence behind you sent a familiar thrill down your spine and you halted all movement. You already knew who it was. Only one person felt that confident, that firm merely standing behind you. 

“You okay, princess?” Jaehyun ran his fingers down the scarred skin of your back, voice low and a different type of risky. His breath ghosted over your skin and you shivered, dropping your arms back down to your side. With one hand, he brushed your hair to the side, leaning closer to examine the open wound from the day before. A dark blush covered your cheeks at how close he was. Deep down, you knew you weren’t special. Jaehyun always treated his men, his friends this well when they were hurt. But when you turned, caught the way his brows furrowed with concern… something within you wished you were more to him than an associate’s daughter. “Looks like you worked the cut from last fight too hard.” 

The calloused fingers left your skin only to return a moment later with a cotton swab drenched in alcohol. You hissed, immediately moving away from his hands and he snickered. “Easy, Y/N. Don’t move too much, okay?” Saying nothing, you squared your shoulders and clenched your teeth to stop the sounds of pain from escaping your lips. Soon, the cleaning was done and your shoulder was wrapped. 

You stared blankly ahead of you, gaze somewhat unfocused as you pondered your chances of being able to pull off a relationship with someone as dangerous as Jaehyun. Your father would definitely approve. Not only would it secure an alliance with the notorious 127 syndicate, your father had been pushing to arrange ‘something’ between the two of you since that first night he saved you. And as exciting as a relationship with him would be… What fun would marriage be if your feelings were one sided? 

Like a ray of sunshine through your clouded thoughts, Jaehyun appeared in front of you, dark eyes swimming in nothing but careful affection, as he held the clean t-shirt out for you to put your arms through. “Come on, Princess,” his voice was soft, much different than the voice he used with his men and for a split second, you thought just maybe you had a chance. A gentle smile danced across his lips when you finally looked up at the dangerously handsome man in front of you. “Let’s get you covered.” 

Placing your arms through the holes, he gently eased the clothing over your head and down your scarred, bandaged torso. His hands smoothed the hem of your shirt down, resting over the soft curve of your waist for one moment too long. 

And that single moment was all your body needed to start the unwarranted gymnastics routine in your heart once again. The breath escaping your lungs became ragged, uneven. Your hands came up to rest on his broad shoulders. From the dip of your collar bone to the pillowy pink of your lips and then up to your blank gaze was the path Jaehyun’s eyes traveled. With every sense of yours heightened and hyper aware from the lack of space between you two, you had yet to forget the way his hands remained on your hips. In the deafening silence, the glance he shot back down to your lips was just enough clarification you needed. 

His mouth covered yours in seconds, the kiss a harsh combination of clashing teeth and the iron aftertaste of blood. It was passionless, the way he cradled your body in his hands as if he was afraid you could break any moment. For such an infamous criminal, you thought to yourself. Jung Jaehyun certainly had the softest lips you’d ever kissed.

But there were no sparks. There was no fire that lit in the pit of your stomach when he bit down on your bottom lip, tugging ever so slightly. No matter how gentle he was with you, no matter how intoxicating he was on your tongue… it became more obvious when you pulled away, observing the way he made no move to chase your lips. A bitter feeling spread over your chest when you realized something. He cared for you, yes. But he didn’t love you. Jaehyun didn’t love you.

A sad smile crept up your lips and you sighed. Pulling out your own teeth would have been less painful than the hurt you felt extracting yourself from his arms. He sighed, gathering his dirty clothes up to wash later, the moment prior already forgotten. 

“Hey… Y/N,” Jaehyun cleared his throat, tossing a bag for clothes towards you. You blinked, nearly missing the bag. He nodded towards the car, face still a pale pink from what had transpired only seconds before. “We… we gotta head out soon or you’ll be late for class.” 

“... Right.” 

You sat in the passenger seat, glaring out the window at the beautiful cerulean sky. The drive out had only been forty-five minutes, but a stifling hatred towards your naivety bubbled, simmering in the jagged cavity where your heart had been and made the trip feel even longer. Nothing, not even the low jazz Jaehyun had playing in the background could block out the unreasonable frustration boiling in your stomach. Finally, after thirty seconds, you broke. 

“Who is it?” your voice came out low, level, masterfully masking the intense desire of yours to cry. And if Jaehyun hadn’t known you for as long as he had, he wouldn’t have caught the slight tremble in the last syllable you spoke. 

“What was that, Princess?” 

“I said, who is it?” The question was more forceful this time. His grip on the steering wheel tightened and his jaw clenched. You knew he had heard you.

“... Who is what?” Silky and suave as always, Jaehyun cleared his throat, doing his best to sound unfazed. You had heard this voice before. Many times before. This was the voice he used when he was trying to evade a difficult topic.

“Who is it?” This time, you didn’t even try to hide the quiver in your voice. Melancholy rolled off you in waves and the first of the wretched tears made its way down your cheek. “Who… who’s keeping you from loving me the way I love you?” 

“I don’t- I don’t know what you’re talking abou-” 

“Cut the bullshit, Jung Jaehyun.” Anger manifested itself in the sudden raise of your voice. Jaehyun winced and you pressed on, growling through clenched teeth. “I lie way too much to believe that load of ass you just fed me.” 

He swallowed, gaze straight ahead to avoid your prying eyes. “She… doesn’t know.” His words were quiet, almost reluctant. So the lucky girl didn’t know she was lucky.

“You should…” this time, your voice was barely audible, void of all the anger from a few seconds ago. “You should tell her. She deserves that at the very least.” 

“But that would put her in danger!” It was Jaehyun’s turn to sound wildly distraught. Though his gaze remained firm on the road ahead, you could see the fear of rejection, the fear of any other young man deeply in love in his dark eyes. “She doesn’t even- she doesn’t know I’m one of the most dangerous criminals in Korea. She doesn’t know that I do what I do. How am I supposed to spring both on her at once? That just- that wouldn’t be fair to her.” 

“You know what else isn’t fair to her? Keeping it a secret. Imagine how she might feel every time you leave for weeks on overseas assignments. Imagine how she might feel every time you come back with another cut lining your ridiculously flawless skin. Imagine… imagine how she’d feel if you died one day, never came back and never told her. Never told her that you loved her. Never told her why you disappeared so much. She’d be heartbroken in more ways than one, Jae.” Your words trailed off by the time you had finished. You pulled the collar of your shirt up to swipe furiously at the dried tears dotting your skin. Those words you had spoken... it wasn’t just the mystery girl you were speaking of. 

Jaehyun was quiet for a moment, digesting the information you had just spat at him. 

“And… I’m not saying you need to tell her both at once, I’m just- I… Give her the chance to love you for all you are.” Give her the chance to love you like I do.

[autumnsart22]

Oikawa x Reader ch. 4

I had no idea what to do. 

It had been three weeks since I joined Aoba Johsai, and things were starting to fall into a rhythm. I went to class, and although the school was larger than I was used to, I easily stayed on top of all the work despite getting extra to catch up. I visited Karasuno as often as I could, almost twice a week to see the whole team. Also, Kiyoko’s house was closer to Aoba Johsai than my own, so I used the excuse to sleep over there almost every night. 

But despite that, I was bored and lonely. Studying wasn’t enough to keep me occupied, and now that I wasn’t the manager of Karasuno, I had large amounts of extra time with nothing to fill it. 

Such was the case on the Saturday morning after the second week at Aoba Johsai. Kiyoko was at a practice game against one of the other schools in the Miyagi prefecture, and I had already finished most of my homework. I had decided to pull out some of my old sketchbooks from under my bed, which had grown dusty from me not using them, deciding to try and pick back up my old hobby.

I’d stopped all kinds of art a few years ago, after my parents had a sit down talk with me about success. Before that, I had imagined that maybe I could make a bit of money by designing logos or web pages for businesses and companies, but my parents made it clear that would never be an option. 

But I was bored now, so the sketchbooks were laid out on the table and the pencils were sharpened. Unfortunately, I was a perfectionist who was out of practice and without any inspiration. I ended up breaking two of my nice pencils out of frustration, and decided to go on a run to cool my head. 

It was pretty early in the morning, only 8:30, and mist lay heavy in the air. It was good weather for running, cold enough that I wasn’t overheating as I jogged. 

I definitely wasn’t the most athletic person, although I wasn’t out of shape either. My body was curvy, not particularly muscly in any way, but I wasn’t fat. I had major body insecurities like every other girl in existence, but I had been working on it to try and like myself better recently. 

Either way, I was out of breath after only a few minutes of running, but I kept a steady pace, and focused on the rhythm of the music pounding through my headphones instead of the pain in my side. 

After jogging for almost twenty minutes through town, I finally allowed myself to slow to a walk as I approached a street. The road was busy, so I hit the button for the crosswalk and gave myself a minute of recovery. 

I almost jumped out of my skin as a voice spoke from behind me out of the blue. 

“Hey there, are you the new student at Aoba Johsai?” 

I turned and felt my heart practically stop. The boy that stood a foot away was tall with messy brown hair falling around his head, his figure lean with muscle but not very bulky. He was one of the prettiest people I had ever seen. I guessed that he had been on a run too, but unlike me, he didn’t look the slightest bit out of breath. 

“Oh um,” I realized I had forgotten to respond. “Yes I am. Do I know you?”

“Nope. Not yet,” He smirked, and I fought a blush. What was with this guy? 

“Uh, ok. Well I have to go…” Thankfully, the light turned, and I awkwardly turned away. He didn’t say anything, but I could feel him watching me as I jogged across the street and headed back home. 

That night, I sat on Kiyoko’s bed, legs across her lap. Apparently Karasuno had lost the practice match, but only by two points. The team was improving all the time, with every practice and every game. 

According to Kiyoko, the boys had been upset that I wasn’t allowed to come to the practice game, which made me feel a bit happy. It was nice to be missed. 

“What did you do today?” Kiyoko asked, glasses flashing as she leaned over to plug her phone into a charger. 

“Literally nothing. Went for a run, attempted and failed at drawing, finished my homework.” I sighed. I didn’t mention the boy I had run into while I was out, but I had been thinking about the awkward encounter the whole day, each time making me more and more embarrassed. I had definitely been rude. I hadn’t even asked for his name! 

He hadn’t asked for mine either, I reminded myself, but at least he had talked like a normal person. I had just stuttered, which I always did when I got uncomfortable. Ah well. 

“Y/n-san, you should become Seijoh’s manager.” 

At first I wasn’t sure I heard her right. “Huh?” Kiyoko sighed, pushing up her glasses. “You love volleyball just as much as me, and clearly you’re going out of your mind with boredom. I think it would be good for you.” 

“But-but Aoba Johsai is in direct competition to Karasuno! They’re our enemy!” 

Kiyoko rolled her eyes. “Y/n, honestly. That’s not an excuse for you not to join. Yeah, you’ll probably have to play against us, but it's not like you’ll become our enemy.” 

I sighed, shoulders slumping. “Maybe I’ll just go to a practice and see what the team is like, and decide from there.”

My friend shrugged and nodded. “That sounds good. You have to tell me how it goes.” 

    ✨✨✨✨

On Monday, I went to the front office to ask about Seijoh’s volleyball club. Apparently they met after school for two hours every weekday except for Monday, as well as every other Saturday. It was a lot, but Karasuno did even more, so I knew I would be able to handle it. 

I had to ask a few people for directions about how to get to the gym, but I managed to get there before practice had officially started. I could hear shoes squeaking on the floor when I arrived, which made me pause. I hated being the only new person, especially when entering such a tight knit group like a volleyball team. My social anxiety always made things awkward. 

I took a deep breath, reminding myself that the boys would most likely be too busy to notice me, and I just had to go talk to the coach. 

I shoved open the doors, sliding into the gym and quickly surveying the space. It was way bigger than Karasuno’s gym, the equipment clearly better quality due to their higher budget. 

I expected a few of the team members to be there early, maybe doing simple spikes against the wall to warm up. Unfortunately for me, the entire team was already dressed and gathered around the coach. As the gym doors slammed closed behind me, they all looked over as I walked in. 

I felt all the blood rush to my face, and I awkwardly crossed my arms and stood off to the side as the coach finished talking. I noticed a few of the boys muttering to each other and gesturing at me, which only made my stomach twist. Thankfully, the coach sent them on lunging laps pretty quickly, which kept them from hanging around. 

“Oikawa, not you!” The coach yelled, gesturing at one of the boys. “Your knee isn’t fully healed yet and I don’t want you to reinjure it.” 

Oikawa, the team captain and setter, I remembered. The arrogant one that Kageyama didn’t like. My mouth fell open when he turned around. 

It was the same guy from my run, who had asked me if I was the new student. I felt my entire body tense, and I quickly looked away from him. Damn, this had been a bad idea. 

“Aw coach, come on! At least let me do something,” Oikawa said, practically pouting. 

“You can do some stretches over there,” the coach said with an annoyed look.

The setter grinned, and then he looked at me. His eyebrows went up in surprise as he recognized me, and I smiled awkwardly before quickly turning towards the coach. No need to interact more than necessary. 

“Hi, can I help you?” The coach was looking at me imploringly, and I quickly bowed. 

“Yes, my name is Y/n L/n, and I was looking to see if you had any need of a new team manager. I have some experience from my last school, and I would love to get involved here.” 

The coach looked surprised, but then he smiled. “You have the most perfect timing. Our official team manager just quit, so we were looking for someone to take over. You would need to fill out some paperwork and figure out if you’re eligible, but if you want to stay for today and see how it fits, that would work out great.”

“Ok! Thank you so much.”

“Of course. I’m Coach Nobuteru, and over there is our team captain, Oikawa Toru. Oikawa!” 

I turned around, only to see the tall setter making his way over to us. He grinned down at me, eyes trailing over my body and back up. “Hi again, new girl.” “Oikawa,” the coach said. “This is Y/n L/n. She’s looking to become our new team manager.” Coach Nobuteru spoke for me, and I bowed quickly. 

“It’s nice to meet you officially, Y/n-kun.” Oikawa said, bowing back. He looked clearly surprised that I was looking into the manager position, which annoyed me a bit. I wondered what he thought of me. 

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you as well, Oikawa-san.” 

“Oikawa, why don’t you get back to work?” Coach Nobuteru said after a moment.

The team captain nodded, smirking at me one more time before heading back over to where his team were finishing their laps. 

I watched the practice on the sideline with Coach Nobuteru, assessing the players and trying to determine who needed to work on what. I asked the coach a lot of questions about names and strengths, and he looked at me with new respect as he seemed to realize that I actually did have experience with volleyball. 

It was obvious that Oikawa knew his team extremely well, and I couldn’t help but admire the way he encouraged them, capitalizing on their strengths. They worked like a well oiled machine, unlike anything Karasuno had ever managed to do, even though I didn’t want to admit it. 

The strength between Iwaizumi Hajime, the team’s ace, and Oikawa was almost unbelievable. They knew what the other was intending without effort, and they seemed to work in sync to slam one quick attack after the other over the net. The only relationship I had seen that could compare was that of Hinata and Kageyama. 

At the end of the practice, Coach Nobuteru directed me to the club office, where I could get the paperwork to officially become the team manager. As I left the gym, I felt the best I had for a long time. The energy from watching the team play volleyball made me feel light and happy, like I had a purpose again. It was definitely nerve racking to have to learn the names, strengths and weaknesses, preferences, and relationships of the entire team, but it was also exciting. I would do my best to be as good a manager of Seijoh as I was of Karasuno. 

Chapter 3

Chapter 5